Description
Southern white-lipped pythons can grow to lengths of up to 10ft with a slender to medium build. The most striking characteristic of this species is its iridescence. This feature is shared by many terrestrial boids and is an adaptation to living in moist conditions. This iridescence is cause by tiny fingerprint like ridges on the scales. These ridges actually help to repel the moisture in the substrate to keep the skin from becoming too wet. Other species 
that exhibit this same adaptation are Liasis fuscus, Epicrates cenchria and Brothrochiles boa.
The body is black dorsally wich lightens on the flacks to shades of gray. The chin and ventral surface is white and unmarked. The head is solid black and very with the exception of the labial scales which are brilliant white, giving the species its common name.
Habitat
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This terrestrial species inhabits the drier areas of southern New Guinea. Leiopython hoserea can be found in seasonally dry woodland and Eucalypt savanna where it is sympatric with the Papuan carpet python (Morelia spilota harrisoni).
Distribution
Leiopython hoserea is a widely distributed species inhabiting much of the lowlands of New Guinea, south of the central dividing range. Their distribution extends from the vicinity of Timika in the west to the region immediately south of Port Moresby in the east. The exact distribution is not entirely known and may include at least two disjunct populations. These potentially isolated population lie in the coastal areas on both sides of the Owen Stanley Range.
The Genus Leiopython has undergone two revisions since 2000. The most recent revision (Schleip 2008) is the most thorough and divides the once monotypic genus Leiopython into a closely related clade of six species. This recent revision is the primary reason that it is difficult to ascertain with certainty the geographic distribution of each of the proposed new species. All previous field work and collection data presumed only a single species thus making the data hard to interpret in light of this new taxonomic framework.
Projects
I am currently working with 1.1 of this very rare taxon.
