Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Bullsnake, Gopher Snake
Description
Family Colubridae
The family Colubridae, which includes the kingsnakes (Lampropeltis spp. ), is the largest, most widespread, and diverse family of snakes , with few physical characteristics universal among all species. The family contains 70 percent of the known species of snakes, with more than 1700 species worldwide (Pough et al. 1998). Although some colubrids are dangerously venomous , most are harmless to humans. [1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
()
- Goodrich, 1930
- Class:
Lepidosauria
()
- Subclass:
Diapsida
()
- Infraclass:
Lepidosauromorpha
()
- Superorder:
Lepidosauria
()
-
- Order:
Squamata
()
- Suborder:
Serpentes
()
- (C. Linnaeus, 1758)
- Superfamily:
Colubroidea
()
- Family:
Colubridae
()
- Colubrids
- Subfamily:
Colubrinae
()
- Genus:
Pituophis
()
- Holbrook, 1842
- Specific name:
catenifer
- Subspecies:
sayi
- Scientific name: - Pituophis catenifer sayi
- Subspecies:
sayi
- Specific name:
catenifer
- Genus:
Pituophis
(
- Subfamily:
Colubrinae
(
- Family:
Colubridae
(
- Superfamily:
Colubroidea
(
- Suborder:
Serpentes
(
- Order:
Squamata
(
- Superorder:
Lepidosauria
(
- Infraclass:
Lepidosauromorpha
(
- Subclass:
Diapsida
(
- Class:
Lepidosauria
(
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Synonyms
Coluber catenifer Blainville • Pituophis melanoleucus sayi (Schlegel • Pituophis sayi (Schlegel
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
. Synonym: Pituophis sayi. Latest
taxonomic
scrutiny: June 11, 2001.
The epithet
sayi is in honor of the renowned zoologist
Thomas
Say.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Pituophis
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 17 species and subspecies in this genus:
P. catenifer (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer affinis (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer annectens (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer catenifer (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer deserticola (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer pumilis (Bullsnake) · P. catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) · P. deppei (Mexican Bull Snake) · P. deppei deppei (Mexican Bull Snake) · P. lineaticollis (Middle American Gopher Snake) · P. lineaticollis lineaticollis (Middle American Gopher Snake) · P. melanoleucus (Gopher Snake) · P. melanoleucus cantenifer (Bull Snake) · P. melanoleucus lodingi (Black Pine Snake) · P. melanoleucus melanoleucus (Northern Pine Snake) · P. melanoleucus mugitus (Florida Pine Snake) · P. ruthveni (Louisiana Pinesnake)
More Info
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url p. 140.
- Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url p. 107, p. 123, p. 166, p. 205, p. 210, p. 214, p. 224, p. 78.
- Check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Canada and Alaska / Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1961 url , p. 77.
- Check-list of the amphibians and reptiles of Canada and Alaska / Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1955. url , p. 71, p. 72.
- Copeia. [New York, N.Y., etc.]: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. url .
- Handbook of amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. 1950 Lawrence, 1950 url fig. 177, page 244.
- Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia url p. 407.
- Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and financial report of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents for the year ending June 30. .. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1933-1965. url p. 140, p. 162.
- The University of Kansas science bulletin. 33 1950 [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. url p. 358, p. 376.
- The hyoid and its associated muscles in snakes Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 1968. url p. 153, p. 29.
- University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 1 1946 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 108.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed February 1, 2012.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 14, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 3 providers.
- NatureServe. 2003. Downloadable animal data sets. NatureServe Central Databases. Accessed February 6, 2005.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2543773
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Rep-24632
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13517927
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 209409
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ARADB26024
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 15582
Footnotes
- Painter, Charles W., Chuck L. Hayes, and James N. Stuart "Recovery and Conservation of the Gray-Banded Kingsnake. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. May 1, 2002. [back]
