Pantherophis alleghaniensis
| Pantherophis alleghaniensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adult eastern ratsnake Murphys Point Provincial Park, Ontario | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Pantherophis |
| Species: | P. alleghaniensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pantherophis alleghaniensis (Holbrook, 1836) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pantherophis alleghaniensis, commonly called the eastern ratsnake, is a harmless colubrid species endemic to North America.[4][5]
Geographic range
It is found in Canada, particularly southern Ontario, and in the United States from central Georgia north to Vermont and west to Illinois and Louisiana.[4][5]
Description
Adult snakes commonly measure 91.4 to 183 cm (36.0 to 72.0 in) in total length (including tail), with a few exceeding 200 cm (79 in).[6] The longest recorded total length to date is 256.5 cm (101.0 in).[4]
Adults are shiny black dorsally, with a white chin and throat. Juveniles have dark dorsal blotches on a grayish ground color.[4]
The dorsal scales are weakly keeled, and are arranged in 23 to 27 rows at midbody.[7]
Common names
Black rat snake, pilot snake, pilot rat snake,[4] chicken snake.
Taxonomy
Pantherophis alleghaniensis has sometimes been considered a subspecies of Pantherophis obsoletus, to which it is closely related.[8]
This species has often been placed in the genus Elaphe, but recent phylogenetic analyses have resulted in its transfer to Pantherophis.[9][10][11]
References
- ↑ Boulenger GA. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Coluber obsoletus, pp. 50-51).
- ↑ Stejneger L, Barbour T. 1917. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Elaphe obsoleta, p. 83).
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Eastern Ratsnake, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pantherophis alleghaniensis, The Reptile Database
- ↑ FLMNH – Eastern Rat Snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis). Flmnh.ufl.edu. Retrieved on 2012-12-19.
- ↑ Pantherophis alleghaniensis at Pennsylvania Herp Identification. http://www.paherps.com/herps/snakes/rat_snake.
- ↑ Pantherophis, SSARHerps
- ↑ Utiger U, Helfenberger N, Schätti B, Schmidt C, Ruf M, Ziswiler V. (2002). "Molecular Systematics and Phylogeny of Old and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae)" (PDF). Russian Journal of Herpetology 9 (2): 105–124.
- ↑ Burbrink FT, Lawson R. (2007). "How and when did Old World ratsnakes disperse into the New World?". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43 (1): 173–189. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.09.009. PMID 17113316.
- ↑ Pyron RA, Burbrink FT. (2009). "Neogene diversification and taxonomic stability in the snake tribe Lampropeltini (Serpentes: Colubridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 52 (2): 524–529. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.008. PMID 19236930.
Further reading
- Holbrook JE. 1836. North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. I. Philadelphia: J. Dobson. 120 pp. (Coluber alleghaniensis, pp. 111-112 + Plate XX).
- Jan G, Sordelli F. 1867. Iconographie générale des Ophidiens: Vingt-quatrième livraison. Paris: Baillière. Index + Plates I-VI. (Elaphis alleghaniensis, Plate II, Figure 1 [adult], Figure 2 [juvenile]).
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pantherophis alleghaniensis. |
- Pantherophis alleghaniensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 November 2008.