Virginia valeriae

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Smooth Earth Snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Virginia
Species: V. valeriae
Binomial name
Virginia valeriae
Baird & Girard, 1853
Synonyms

Carphophis harperti
Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854
Virginia elegans
Kennicott, 1859
Haldea valeriae
Campbell, 1962

The Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake native to the eastern half of the United States, from Texas and Iowa to Pennsylvania and Florida. It is a small, fossorial species which spends most of its time buried in loose soil or leaf litter, and eats primarily earthworms and other soft-bodied arthropods. The epithet valeriae is in honor of Valeria Biddle Blaney, cousin of Spencer Fullerton Baird, who collected the first specimen in Kent County, Maryland.[1]

[edit] Subspecies

Some sources list two subspecies of Virginia valeriae:

  • Western Earth Snake, Virginia valeriae elegans (Kennicott, 1859)
  • Eastern Earth Snake, Virginia valeriae valeriae (Baird & Girard, 1853)

[edit] References