Shea (1998) studied the patterns of geographic variation displayed by black whip snakes in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. These snakes have variously been referred to as Demansia papuensis and D. atra in the literature. The status of some populations, particularly those of New Guinea, was unclear until recently (e.g., O'Shea, 1996). The existence of two species is confirmed: Demansia papuensis, found in northern Australia from the Kimberleys to central eastern Queensland, and D. vestigiata, found from extreme northeastern Western Australia to extreme southeastern Queensland, and also in southern Papua New Guinea. Despite its name, D. papuensis is not found on New Guinea. In many previous papers discussing these snakes, the two species were confused, misidentified, or composite samples were used. The name Demansia atra, widely used in the literature until now, is a junior synonym of D. vestigiata.

* O'Shea, M. (1996) A Guide to the Snakes of Papua New Guinea. Independent Publishing, Port Moresby.
* Shea, G.M. (1998) Geographic variation in scalation and size of the black whip snakes (Squamata: Elapidae: Demansia vestigiata complex): evidence for two broadly sympatric species. Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, 14: 41-61.