Crotalus mitchellii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crotalus mitchellii |
||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Crotalus mitchellii (Cope, 1861) |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Common names: speckled rattlesnake.[2]
Crotalus mitchellii is a venomous pit viper species found in the Southwestern United States, and in northern Mexico. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Description
Generally, this species does not exceed 100 cm in length, with large males measuring between 90 and 100 cm. The race on Angel de la Guarda Island is known to become larger, the maximum recorded length for a specimen there being 136.7 cm. In contrast, the population on El Muerto Island only reaches a maximum of 63.7 cm in length.[2]
[edit] Geographic range
Found in the southwestern United States and in northwestern Mexico. In the United States, its range includes east-central and southern California, southwestern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and western Arizona. In Mexico it is native in most of Baja California, including Baja California Sur. It also inhabits a number of islands in the Gulf of California, including Angel de la Guarda, Carmen, Cerralvo, El Muerto, Espíritu Santo, Monserrate, Piojo, Salsipuedes, San José, as well as on Santa Margarita Island off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur.[1]
The type locality is listed as "Cape St. Lucas, Lower California" (Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico).[1]
[edit] Subspecies
Subspecies[3] | Authority[3] | Common name[4] | Geographic range[4] |
---|---|---|---|
C. m. angelensis | Klauber, 1963 | Angel de la Guarda Island speckled rattlesnake | Mexico, on the island of Ángel de la Guarda. |
C. m. mitchellii | (Cope, 1861) | San Lucan speckled rattlesnake | Mexico, in Baja California Sur and on the islands of Santa Margarita, Cerralvo, Espíritu Santo, San José, Monserrate and Carmen. |
C. m. muertensis | Klauber, 1949 | El Muerto Island speckled rattlesnake | Mexico, on the island of El Muerto. |
C. m. pyrrhus | (Cope, 1866) | Southwestern speckled rattlesnake | The United States in southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and western Arizona. Mexico in northwestern Sonora and northern Baja California. |
C. m. stephensi | Klauber, 1930 | Panamint rattlesnake | The United States in east-central California and southwestern Nevada. |
[edit] Taxonomy
Grismer (1999) argued that C. m. angelensis and C. m. muertensis should be given species status, mainly due to differences in body size.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] Cited references
- ^ a b c McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b c Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ a b c Crotalus mitchellii (TSN 174313). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 25 February 2007.
- ^ a b Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. First published in 1956, 1972. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-21056-5.
[edit] External links
- Species Crotalus mitchelli at the Species2000 Database.
- Crotalus angelensis at San Diego Natural History Museum. Accessed 25 February 2007.
- Crotalus muertensis at San Diego Natural History Museum. Accessed 25 February 2007.
- Crotalus mitchelli at San Diego Natural History Museum. Accessed 25 February 2007.
- Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus at California Reptiles and Amphibians. Accessed 25 February 2007.