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Agkistrodon contortrix (LINNAEUS, 1766)

IUCN Red List - Agkistrodon contortrix - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaViperidae, Crotalinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Southern Copperhead
mokasen: Northern Copperhead
phaeogaster: Osage Copperhead
G: Kupferkopf 
SynonymBoa contortrix LINNAEUS 1766: 373
Agkistrodon mokason PALISOT DE BEAUVOIS 1799
Cenchris mokeson DAUDIN 1803
Ancistrodon contortrix — BAIRD 1854: 13
Agkistrodon contortrix — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 17
Trigonocephalus contortrix — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 1494
Cenchris atrofuscus — THEOBALD 1868
Ancistrodon contortrix — COPE 1900: 1135
Akistrodon mokasen — WALKER 1931
Akistrodon mokasen — DURY 1932 (in error)
Agkistrodon mokasen mokasen — BURT 1935
Agkistrodon mokasen mokasen — CONANT 1938
Agkistrodon mokeson mokeson — GLOYD & CONANT 1943: 150
Agkistrodon mokeson austrinus — GLOYD & CONANT 1943: 153
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster GLOYD 1969: 220
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster — GLOYD & CONANT 1990
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — GLOYD & CONANT 1990
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix — GLOYD & CONANT 1990
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 227
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 226
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 227
Agkistrodon contortrix mokeson — WELCH 1994: 11 (in error)
Agkistrodon contortrix — LINER 1994
Agkistrodon contortrix — MCDIARMID, CAMPBELL & TOURÉ 1999: 236
Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 478
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — CROTHER 2000: 56
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster — CROTHER 2000: 56
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 481
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 484
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — CROTHER et al. 2012
Agkistrodon contortrix — CROTHER et al. 2012
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster — CROTHER et al. 2012
Agkistrodon contortrix — WALLACH et al. 2014: 18
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen — LILLYWHITE 2014: 24
Agkistrodon contortrix — CROTHER et al. 2017 
DistributionUSA (Texas, E/C Oklahoma, E Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, S Illinois, S Indiana, S Ohio, Iowa,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, S New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts),
Mexico (NE Chihuahua, Coahuila)

contortrix: USA (E Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana); Type locality: ‘Carolina’ (Linnaeus, 1766), restricted to Charleston, SC, by (Schmidt, 1953).

mokasen: USA (Massachussetts, Connecticut, SE New York, N New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois).

phaeogaster: USA (Kansas, Missouri, Texas); Type locality: “10 miles south of McLouth, Jefferson County, Kansas”.  
Reproductionovovivparous; facultative parthenogenesis (BOOTH et al. 2012, JORDAN et al. 2015). 
TypesType: Lost. The type specimen was not found among Linnaean materials examined by Lönnberg (1896) and by Andersson (1899, 1900) (from McDiarmid et al. 1999); unknown (fide Burbrink & Guiher 2014)
Holotype: USNM 165955, adult male; paratypes: USNM, AMNH, UMMZ, FMNH [phaeogaster] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (9556 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Type species: Agkistrodon mokasen Palisot de Beauvois, 1799 [= Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766)] is the type species of the genus Agkistrodon PALISOT DE BEAUVOIS 1799.

Subspecies: The two western subspecies of A. contortrix appear to constitute a single distinct species, pending additional analyses. Burbrink and Guiher (2014) synonymized the subspecies A. c. contortrix, mokasen, and phaeogaster (in part) into A. contortrix. These authors also split off A. laticinctus as valid species.

Hybridization: A. laticinctus hybridizes over a broad area with A. contortrix. 
EtymologyThe specific epithet refers to female contortionists, possible reference to dorsal pattern.

The genus name comes from the Greek words ancistro, meaning "hook" and odon meaning "tooth," in reference to the curved fangs.  
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