| Middle American Indigo Snake | |
|---|---|
| Drymarchon melanurus | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Drymarchon |
| Species: | D. melanurus |
| Binomial name | |
| Drymarchon melanurus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 |
|
| Subspecies | |
|
D. m. erebennus (Cope, 1860) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Spilotes melanurus |
|
The Middle American indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus), also known as Blacktail Cribo, is a large, non-venomous, colubrid snake species found in the south-west of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the northern part South America. It has one recognized subspecies, D. m. erebennus commonly known as the Texas Indigo Snake.[2]
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This is a large species that can grow to lengths from 1.80 m (6 ft) to over 2.40 m (8 ft). This species has predominantly olive-brown glossy scales evolving to black at the tail. The underside is a lighter olive-yellow, olive-tan color. D. melanurus has distinctive dark markings round the eyes, a vertical dark slash just behind the jaw. and a heavy diagonal dark slash on both sides of the neck.[3] The subspecies D. m. erebennus is predominantly solid black, though there can be lighter shaded variations.
Its range extends from southern Texas southwards through the Gulf Coast of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala and Belize. On the Pacific coast its range extends from Sinaloa in Mexico, southward to Guatemala, as far as Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.[3] [1] Its elevational distribution goes from near sea level up to around 1,900 m asl (6,230 feet).[1] The subspecies D. m. erebennus is found in southern Texas and southwards into Mexico as far as Veracruz.
There are two recognized subspecies, including the nominal subspecies:[2]