Thamnophis atratus

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

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]

Habitat

Typically found in a lake at a mean distance from sea level of 212 meters (696 feet).[2]

Ecology: Habitats include rocky fast-flowing streams , sluggish streams with soft bottoms , ponds , small lakes , and the adjacent riparian zone, in areas surrounded by woodlands, woodland-grass ecotones , or chaparral (Nussbaum et al. 1983, Rossman et al. 1996, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003). This snake basks on boulders and vegetation along banks and in mid-stream; it seeks cover under water under rocks or among exposed tree roots . In most areas this snake is closely tied to water, but individuals sometimes travel on land away from water.[3].

List of Habitats:

•     1     Forest   
  
•     1.4     Forest - Temperate   
  
•     3     Shrubland   
  
•     3.4     Shrubland - Temperate   
  
•     3.8     Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation   
  
•     4     Grassland   
  
•     4.4     Grassland - Temperate   
  
•     5     Wetlands (inland)   
  
•     5.1     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls )   
  
•     5.2     Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks   
  
•     5.4     Wetlands (inland) - Bogs , Marshes, Swamps , Fens , Peatlands   
  
•     5.5     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)   
  
•     5.6     Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)   
  
•     5.7     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)   
  
•     15     Artificial/Aquatic & Marine   
  
•     15.1     Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha)   
  
•     15.2     Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha)   
[more info]

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Thamnophis atratus — Crother 2000 • Thamnophis atratus — Rossman & Stewart 1987 • Thamnophis atratus< /i> (Kennicott 1860: 296) • Thamnophis couchi atratus Stebbins 1985: 206

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Rossman and Stewart (1987) recognized Thamnophis atratus and T. couchii as distinct species. They recommended that T. a. aquaticus not be recognized as a valid taxon (atratus, hydrophilus, and aquaticus formerly were recognized as subspecies of T. couchii). Rossman et al. (1996) and Boundy (1999) also did not recognize aquaticus as valid. (Ref. 310548).

Similar Species

Members of the genus Thamnophis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 68 species and subspecies in this genus:

T. angustirostris (Longnose Garter Snake) · T. atratus (Aquatic Gartersnake) · T. atratus atratus (Santa Cruz Garter Snake) · T. atratus hydrophilus (Aquatic Garter Snake) · T. brachystoma (Short-Headed Garter Snake) · T. butleri (Butler's Gartersnake) · T. chrysocephalus (Goldenhead Garter Snake) · T. couchii (Couch's Garter Snake) · T. couchii couchii (Western Aquatic Garter Snake) · T. cyrtopsis (Black-Necked Garter Snake) · T. cyrtopsis collaris (Black-Necked Garter Snake) · T. cyrtopsis ocellatus (Black-Headed Garter Snake) · T. elegans (Terrestrial Gartersnake) · T. elegans arizonae (Arizona Garter Snake) · T. elegans elegans (Mountain Garter Snake) · T. elegans terrestris (Coast Garter Snake) · T. elegans vagrans (Wandering Garter Snake) · T. elegans vascotanneri (Upper Basin Garter Snake) · T. eques (Mexican Gartersnake) · T. eques eques (Mexican Garter Snake) · T. eques megalops (Mexican Garter Snake) · T. exsul (Montane Garter Snake) · T. fulvus (Highland Garter Snake) · T. gigas (Giant Gartersnake) · T. godmani (Godman's Garter Snake) · T. hammondi (Two-Striped Garter Snake) · T. hammondii (Two-Striped Gartersnake) · T. marcianus (Checkered Garter Snake) · T. melanogaster (Blackbelly Garter Snake) · T. melanogaster melanogaster (Blackbelly Garter Snake) · T. mendax (Tamaulipan Montane Garter Snake) · T. ordinoides (Northwestern Gartersnake) · T. ordinoides ordinoides (Northwestern Garter Snake) · T. proximus (Western Ribbon Snake) · T. proximus diabolicus (Arid Land Ribbon Snake) · T. proximus orarius (Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake) · T. proximus (Western Ribbon Snake) · T. proximus rubrilineatus (Redstripe Ribbon Snake) · T. radix (Plains Gartersnake) · T. radix haydeni (Plains Garter Snake) · T. radix haydenii (Western Plains Garter Snake) · T. radix radix (Eastern Plains Garter Snake) · T. rossmani (Rossman's Garter Snake) · T. rufipunctatus (Narrow-Headed Garter Snake) · T. rufipunctatus rufipunctatus (Narrowhead Garter Snake) · T. sauritus (Eastern Ribbonsnake) · T. sauritus nitae (Blue-Striped Ribbon Snake) · T. sauritus sackenii (Eastern Ribbon Snake) · T. sauritus sauritus (Eastern Ribbon Snake) · T. sauritus septentrionalis (Eastern Ribbon Snake) · T. scalaris (Longtail Alpine Garter Snake) · T. scaliger (Short-Tail Alpine Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis (San Francisco Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis annectens (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis concinnus (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis dorsalis (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis fitchi (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis infernalis (California Red-Sided Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis pallidulus (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis parietalis (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis pickeringii (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis semifasciatus (Chicago Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis similis (Blue-Striped Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis sirtalis (Common Garter Snake) · T. sirtalis tetrataenia (Common Garter Snake) · T. sumichrasti (Sumichrast's Garter Snake) · T. valida (West Coast Garter Snake) · T. valida valida (West Coast Garter Snake)

More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Patterns of snake evolution suggested by their proteins: a contribution in celebration of the distinguished scholarship of Robert F. Inger on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday / Herbert C. Dessauer, John E. Cadle, Robin Lawson. 34 1987 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1987. url p. 13.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
• Hammerson, G.A. 2007. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008.
• Hammerson, G.A. 2007. Thamnophis atratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 05February2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• TIGR Reptile Database . Release date: October 2, 2007
• Uetz, Peter. The Reptile Database

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

• California Academy of Sciences: CAS Herpetology Collection Catalog
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2545634
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Rep-12669
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 209141
• IUCN ID: 245992
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ARADB36140
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 177882

Footnotes

1. 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]
2. Standard Deviation = 533.590 based on 64 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
3. Hammerson, G.A. 2007. Thamnophis atratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.