The gwardar or western brown snake is distributed over most of Australia, with the exception of eastern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Its range overlaps that of the eastern brown snake. Mostly active during the day, the gwardar has similar feeding habits to the common brown snake, but is said to be less aggressive than its eastern counterpart. The adult is usually olive to brown, and may have a dark head or a number of broad bands. An average clutch of 20 eggs is laid.

Average venom yield is approximately 3mg. Like the common brown snake, the venom contains neurotoxins and procoagulants, although the toxicity, as measured by LD₅₀ in mice, is less than that of P. textilis.