| Florida banded water snake | |
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| Florida banded water snake | |
| Conservation status | |
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Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Natricinae |
| Genus: | Nerodia |
| Species: | N. fasciata |
| Subspecies: | N. f. pictiventris |
| Trinomial name | |
| Nerodia fasciata pictiventris (Cope, 1895) |
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| Synonyms | |
The Florida banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris), a subspecies of the Southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata), is a nonvenomous natricine colubrid.
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The Florida banded water snake is endemic throughout Florida and southeastern Georgia. In addition, it has been introduced to Brownsville, Texas.[1] It has also established populations in Folsom, California (Balfour et al. 2007) and Harbor City, California (Fuller and Trevett 2006).
Dorsally it is light brown or yellowish, with 26-35 reddish-brown to black crossbands. Ventrally it is yellow or white, with reddish-brown or black markings. In large adult individuals the ground color on the lower sides is sometimes darker than the crossbands, producing an appearance of alternating blotches on the back and sides.
The Florida water snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) differs from the Southern water snake (Nerodia f. fasciata) chiefly in the shape of the markings on the ventrals. In pictiventris these markings consist of transverse blotches, many of them enclosing an oval white spot. Whereas in fasciata they are solid squarish spots.[1]
Adults average 24 inches (61 cm) to 42 inches (110 cm) in length.
They are ovoviviparous. Mating occurs from March to May. The young are born from May to August, in broods of 25-57. The newborns are 180-223 mm(7-8¾ inches) in total length.[2]