Storeria dekayi

Storeria dekayi
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Natricinae
Genus: Storeria
Species: S. dekayi
Binomial name
Storeria dekayi
(Holbrook, 1836)
Synonyms
For other species commonly referred to as the brown snake, see brown snake.

Storeria dekayi, commonly known as the brown snake or De Kay's snake, is a small species of colubrid snake.[1][2]

Contents

Geographic range

It is native to Southern Ontario and Québec, most of the eastern half of the United States, through Mexico and into Central America.[3]

Description

Dorsally it is brown to gray with a lighter center stripe bordered by small black spots; ventrally it is lighter brown or pink with small black dots at the ends of the ventral scales.[4] Adults usually measure less than 12 inches (30.5 cm), but the record size is 19⅜ inches (49.2 cm).[5] It has keeled dorsal scales, and no loreal scale.[6]

Reproduction

Like its relatives the water snakes (genus Nerodia) and garter snakes (genus Thamnophis) it is ovoviviparous.

Diet

It eats earthworms, slugs, and snails.

Etymology

The epithet dekayi is in honor of American zoologist James Ellsworth De Kay (1792-1851) who collected the first specimen in Long Island, New York, while the genus name Storeria honors zoologist D. Humphreys Storer.[1] This is the only North American snake whose binomial is a double honorific - that is, both the genus and species name honor people.

Subspecies

There are nine recognized subspecies of S. dekayi:

References

  1. ^ Stejneger, L. & T. Barbour. 1917. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. p. 98.
  2. ^ Wright, A.H. & A.A. Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. p. 697.
  3. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ^ Schmidt, K.P. and D.D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. G.P. Putnam's Sons. New York. p. 227.
  5. ^ Conant,Roger. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. p. 153.
  6. ^ Smith, H.M. & E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Press. New York. p. 158.