Black-necked garter snake

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black-necked garter snake
Eastern black-necked garter snake

Eastern black-necked garter snake

Systematics
Subordination : Snakes (serpentes)
Superfamily : Adder-like and viper-like (Colubroidea)
Family : Adders (Colubridae)
Subfamily : Water snakes (Natricinae)
Genre : Garter Snakes ( Thamnophis )
Type : Black-necked garter snake
Scientific name
Thamnophis cyrtopsis
( Kennicott , 1860)
Subspecies
  • Western black-necked garter snake
    ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis ( Kennicott , 1860))
  • Collared garter snake
    ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis collaris ( Jan , 1863))
  • Eastern black-necked garter snake
    ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus ( Cope , 1880))

The blackneck garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis ), also spotted garter snake is one of over 30 recognized species of the genus garter snake ( Thamnophis ) having in turn three subspecies : the Western blackneck garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis ), the collar-garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis collaris ) and the eastern black-necked garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus ).

features

Females are usually one meter long, particularly large specimens are just under 1.20 meters. Males rarely reach a length of more than 60 centimeters.

Black-necked garter snakes specialize in feeding on amphibians and small fish . Depending on the area of ​​distribution, a hibernation of two to three months is kept. These snakes are viviparous . A litter usually contains five to 20 young animals.

distribution

The black-necked garter snake is one of the southernmost of this species of snake. Their natural habitats range from Arizona in the western United States to central Texas and southern Mexico . Occasionally it is also found in Guatemala , Honduras , Nicaragua and even in Costa Rica in the very south of Central America .

Subspecies

Three subspecies are currently recognized:

  • Western black-necked garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis ) Kennicott , 1860 - Olive brown to dark gray with a narrow yellow stripe on the back and yellow to white flanks. The belly is brightly colored and not drawn. With a distribution area from southern Utah to the central Mexican plateau, the western black-necked garter snake is the northernmost representative of this species. The habitat is mainly rocky landscapes near waterways. This snake is particularly native to the canyons .
  • Collared Garter Snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis collaris ) Jan , 1863 - The color ranges from reddish brown to black with a narrow yellow to orange stripe on the back. The belly is often a little lighter than the basic color. The distribution area extends from Mexico to the west coast of Guatemala . Grass areas serve as living space in the plateaus .
  • Eastern black-necked garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus ) Cope , 1880 - Dark brown to brown-gray with clearly colored yellow to orange stripes on the back and yellow to whitish flanks. The onlyknowndistribution area is the Edwards Plateau in Texas , where it occurs mainly in the grassy areas.

Changes in species and subspecies

The black-necked garter snake is another vivid example of the continuously changing species classifications within the diverse genus of the garter snake. While new Thamnophis representatives were discovered just recently, the species allocation of these animals is constantly being redesigned with the help of modern genetic analyzes .

The earlier subspecies Th. C. cyclides and Th. c. vicinus today as Collared Garter Snakes ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis collaris ).

Th. C. fulvus represents the independent species Thamnophis fulvus today. Th. c. postremus was given its own species status, Thamnophis postremus . Th. C. pulchrilatus forms the species Thamnophis pulchrilatus .

literature

References

  1. ↑ T. Bourguignon (2002): "Strumpfbandnattern", Eugen Ulmer Verlag
  2. ↑ T. Bourguignon (2002): Garter Snakes. Eugen Ulmer Verlag.
  3. ↑ M. Hallmen, J. Chlebowy (2001): Garter Snakes . Nature and Animal Publishing House
  4. ↑ T. Bourguignon (2002): Garter Snakes Eugen Ulmer Verlag.
  5. ↑ M. Hallmen, J. Chlebowy (2001): Garter Snakes . Nature and Animal Publishing House.
  6. ↑ T. Bourguignon (2002): Garter Snakes. Eugen Ulmer Verlag
  7. ↑ M. Hallmen, J. Chlebowy (2001): Garter Snakes . Nature and Animal Publishing House.

Web links

Commons : Black-necked garter snake ( Thamnophis cyrtopsis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files