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Nerodia sipedon (LINNAEUS, 1758)

IUCN Red List - Nerodia sipedon - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesNerodia sipedon insularum (CONANT & CLAY 1937)
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis (COPE 1892)
Nerodia sipedon sipedon (LINNAEUS 1758)
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi (CONANT & LAZELL 1973) 
Common NamesE: Northern Water Snake
insularum: Lake Erie Water Snake
pleuralis: Midland Water Snake
sipedon: Northern Water Snake
williamengelsi: Carolina Water Snake
G: Siegel-Ringelnatter, Siegelringnatter 
SynonymColuber Sipedon LINNAEUS 1758: 219
Tropidonotus sipedon — HOLBROOK 1852: 569
Nerodia sipedon — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853
Nerodia agassizii BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 41
Tropidonotus sepedon — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 568
Nerodia niger — GARNIER 1881
Tropidonotus sipedon — GARMAN 1884: 25
Tropidonotus sipedon — YOUNG 1887: 121
Tropidonotus sipedon — HEILPRIN & YOUNG 1887: 320
Natrix fasciata sipedon — COPE 1900: 969
Natrix fasciata sipedon — MCATEE 1907
Natrix sipedon — DUNN 1915
Natrix sipedon — GRANT 1937
Natrix sipedon — CLAY 1938
Nerodia sipedon — STEBBINS 1985: 197
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 153
Nerodia sipedon — CROTHER 2000: 67
Nerodia sipedon — CROTHER et al. 2012
Nerodia sipedon — WALLACH et al. 2014: 485
Nerodia sipedon — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025

Nerodia sipedon insularum (CONANT & CLAY, 1937)
Nerodia sipedon insularum — MEHRTENS 1987: 159
Nerodia sipedon insularum — CROTHER 2000: 67
Nerodia sipedon insularum — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 129
Nerodia sipedon insularum — CROTHER et al. 2012
Nerodia sipedon insularum — KING et al. 2018

Nerodia sipedon pleuralis (COPE 1892)
Natrix fasciata pleuralis COPE 1892: 672
Natrix fasciata pleuralis — COPE 1900: 973
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — CROTHER 2000: 67
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 131
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — CROTHER et al. 2012
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — SCOTT et al. 2012
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis — GUYER et al. 2018

Nerodia sipedon sipedon (LINNAEUS, 1758)
Nerodia sipedon sipedon — CROTHER 2000: 67
Nerodia sipedon sipedon — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 127
Nerodia sipedon sipedon — CROTHER et al. 2012

Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi (CONANT & LAZELL, 1973)
Natrix sipedon williamengelsi CONANT & LAZELL 1973: 3
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi — PALMER & BRASWELL 1995
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi — CROTHER 2000: 67
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 133
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi — CROTHER et al. 2012 
DistributionSE Canada (Ontario, Quebec),
USA (E Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, E/N Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, SE Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee, SE Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, N Georgia, NW Florida, NW South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, S Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan),

insularum: USA, Canada (western Lake Erie islands, incl.Pelee); Type locality: Canada, Ontario, Lake Erie, Pelee Island.

pleuralis: USA (Florida, South Carolina, N Texas); Type locality: “probably Summerville, South Carolina” [CLAY 1938: 278], but “Summerville, North Carolina” fide Schmidt 1953. Morris (1991) recommended the type-locality be restricted to “Mississippi”.

williamengelsi: USA (North Carolina); Type locality:
Island Creek on Ocracoke Island, Hyde Co., North Carolina”

Type locality: “America septentrionali”

Introduced to California fide Hansen & Shedd 2024.  
Reproductionovoviviparous; Facultative Parthenogenesis (Booth et al. 2024) 
TypesType: nondesignated, present location unknown (P. Kalm, Sept. 1748-Feb. 1751) (fide V. Wallach, pers. comm.)
Holotype: UMMZ 80457 [insularum]
Lectotype: USNM 1080 [pleuralis]
Holotype: MCZ 129298, adult male; paratypes: NCSM, USNM, MCZ, AMNH [williamengelsi]
Holotype: USNM 1350 [Nerodia agassizii] 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 4749 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentType species: Coluber Sipedon LINNAEUS 1758 is the type species of the genus Nerodia BAIRD in BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 38.

Synonymy: Kaiser et al. 2013 considered the generic name Funkus Hoser 2012 invalid and rejected its use instead of Nerodia.

Censky cites Cope (1892) PROC. ACAD. NAT. SCI. PHILADELPHIA 14: 672 as the original description of Nerodia s. pleuralis. However, 1892 is vol 44 (not 14) and vol. 44 has only 530 pages (the reference is probably Cope 1892, Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus. 14: 589-694, but I haven’t checked this paper).

Habitat: at least partially coastal and thus considered (partially) “marine”.

Diet: mostly fish

Hybridization: Nerodia sipedon and N. fasciata hybridize “massively” in their contact zones, e.g. in the Carolinas and Georgia (Mebert 2008).

NCBI taxon ID: 876474 [pleuralis]
NCBI taxon ID: 876475 [sipedon] 
EtymologyNamed after Greek “sepedon” = rottenness, decay; a serpent whose bite causes mortification.

The genus name was derived from the Greek words neros (νηρός), meaning "flowing" or “water” and the Greek suffix -ia (-ια), suffix (also dia-), meaning "through," presumably alluding to the flowing movement of these snakes, especially in water (modified after LEMOS-ESPINAL & DIXON 2013). 
References
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