Arizona elegans KENNICOTT, 1859

Find more photos by Google images search:

Higher Taxa	Colubridae, Colubrinae, Lampropeltini, Serpentes (snakes)
Subspecies	Arizona elegans arenicola DIXON 1960 Arizona elegans blanchardi KLAUBER 1946 (status unclear) Arizona elegans candida KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans eburnata KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans elegans KENNICOT 1859 Arizona elegans noctivaga KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans occidentalis BLANCHARD 1924 Arizona elegans philipi KLAUBER 1946
Common Names	E: arenicola: Texas Glossy Snake candida: Mojave Glossy Snake eburnata: Desert Glossy Snake elegans: Eastern Glossy Snake, Kansas Glossy Snake noctovaga: Arizona Glossy Snake occidentalis: Western Glossy Snake, California Glossy Snake, Painted Desert Glossy Snake G: Arizonanatter
Synonym	Arizona elegans KENNICOT 1859: 18 Pityophis elegans — COPE Rhinechis elegans — COPE 1886: 284 Coluber arizonae — BOULENGER 1894: 66 Arizona elegans expolita KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans australis WILLIAMS, CHRAPLIWY & SMITH 1961 Arizona elegans — STEBBINS 1985: 186 Arizona elegans arenicola — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 201 Arizona elegans elegans — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 201 Arizona elegans philipi — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 201 Arizona elegans — LINER 1994 Arizona elegans — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona elegans arenicola DIXON 1960 Arizona elegans arenicola — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans arenicola — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona occidentalis candida KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans candida — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans candida — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona occidentalis eburnata KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans eburnata — STEBBINS 1985: 188 Arizona elegans eburnata — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans eburnata — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona occidentalis noctovaga KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans noctivaga — STEBBINS 1985: 188 Arizona elegans noctovaga — LINER 1994 Arizona elegans noctovaga — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans noctivaga — STEBBINS 2003: 363 Arizona elegans noctivaga — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona elegans occidentalis BLANCHARD 1924 Arizona elegans occidentalis — KLAUBER 1938 Arizona elegans occidentalis — STEBBINS 1985: 188 Arizona occidentalis — LINER 1994 Argyrogena occidentalis Arizona elegans occidentalis — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans occidentalis — BOUNDY et al. 2012 Arizona elegans pacata KLAUBER 1946 Arizona pacata — GRISMER 2002 Arizona elegans philipi KLAUBER 1946 Arizona elegans philipi — CROTHER 2000: 56 Arizona elegans philipi — BOUNDY et al. 2012
Distribution	USA (California, S Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, W Kansas, E Colorado), Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes) Type locality: restricted to Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950. arenicola: S Texas, Mexico (Coahuila) elegans: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma philipi: W Texas, New Mexico Map legend: - Region according to the TDWG standard, not a precise distribution map. NOTE: TDWG regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and this does not always work properly. We are working on it.
Types	blanchardi: Holotype at CAS; Paratype SDSNH 35343 candida: Holotype: SDSNH 34191; paratypes SDSNH eburnata: Holotype: SDSNH 33094; paratypes SDSNH noctivaga: Holotype: SDSNH 34188; paratypes SDSNH pacata: Holotype: SDSNH 17652. philipi: Holotype: SDSNH 34456; paratypes SDSNH 20990, 34426. australis: HOLOTYPE: 48721; Mexico: 21 mi SW Lreto, San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes; K. L. Williams; July 20, 1958.
Comment	Subspecies: A number of subspecies of A. elegans are considered as subspecies of A. occidentalis by some authors. Collins (1991), in a peer-reviewed article, recommended that occidentalis be recognized as a distinct species, a more conservative taxonomy than that in previous use. Collins (1997) presented this proposed change to his snake systematist group, composed of John E. Cadle, Brian I. Crother, Harry W. Greene, L. Lee Grismer, James A. MacMahon, James R. McCranie, and Samuel S. Sweet, and the majority of those individuals responding recommended that occidentalis be so recognized. Collins (1997) followed that recommendation. Liner (1994) also considered this taxon a species distinct from A. elegans, as proposed by Collins (1991). [from: http://eagle.cc.ukans.edu/~cnaar/serpentes.html] Reproduction: oviparous. Type species: Arizona elegans KENNICOT 1859 is the type species of the genus Arizona KENNICOT in BAIRD 1859.
References	Aldridge, Robert D. 2001. Reproductive anatomy, mating season and cost of reproduction in the glossy snake (Arizona elegans). Amphibia-Reptilia 22 (2): 243-252 - get paper here Banta, Benjamin H.;Leviton, Alan E. 1961. A record of Arizona elegans expolita from the State of Aguascalientes Herpetologica 17 (1): 71 - get paper here Bateman, Heather L.; Alice Chung-MacCoubrey, Howard L. Snell, and Deborah M. Finch 2009. Abundance and Species Richness of Snakes along the Middle Rio Grande Riparian Forest in New Mexico. Herp. Cons. Biol. 4: 1 - get paper here Bergman, Enoch; Bergman, Menan; Childers, Theresa; Manzer, Jerry; Mackessy, Stephen P. 1998. Geographic distribution. Arizona elegans elegans Herpetological Review 29 (4): 248-249 Blanchard, Frank N. 1924. A new snake of the genus Arizona. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (150): 1-3 Boulenger, George A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. British Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London, xi, 382 pp. - get paper here Boundy, Jeff; Frank T. Burbrink, Jonathan A. Campbell, Brian I. Crother, Kevin de Queiroz, Darrel R. 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. SSAR, 101 pp. Burt, Charles E. 1935. Further records of the ecology and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the middle west American Midland Naturalist 16 (3): 311-336 - get paper here Collins J T 1991. Viewpoint: a new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles Herpetological Review 22 (2): 42-43 Collins J T 1997. Standard Common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles, 2nd edition. Herpetological Circular 25: 1-40 Collins, J.T. & Collins, S.L. 2009. A pocket guide to Kansas snakes, 2nd ed. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, 69 pp. Collins, J.T. & Collins, S.L. 2010. A pocket guide to Kansas snakes, 3rd ed. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, 69 pp. Conant,R. & Collins,J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin (Boston/New York), xx + 450 p. Cope, E.D. 1886. Thirteenth contribution to the herpetology of tropical America. Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 23: 271-287 [1885] Crother, B. I. 2000. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Herpetogical Circular, No. 29: 1-82 Degenhardt, William G.; C. W. Painter, and A. H. Price 1996. Amphibians and reptiles of New Mexico. Univ. New Mexico Press, 431 pp. Degenhardt, William G.;Stuart, James N. 1998. Geographic Distribution. Arizona elegans Herpetological Review 29 (1): 52 Dixon, J. R.;Fleet, R. R. 1976. Arizona, A. Elegans. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (179): 1-4 - get paper here Dixon, J.R. 1960. A new name for the snake Arizona elegans arizonae. Southwestern Naturalist 5 (4): 226 - get paper here Dixon, James R. 1957. Notes on the glossy snake, Arizona elegans, in Texas Southwestern Naturalist 2 (2/3): 132-133 - get paper here Dixon, James R. 1959. Geographic variation and distribution of the long-tailed group of the glossy snake, Arizona elegans Kennicot Southwestern Naturalist 4 (1): 20-29 - get paper here Dixon, James R. 1960. Arizona elegans in southeastern Texas Herpetologica 15: 72 - get paper here Dixon, James R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, second edition. Texas A&M University Press, 421 pp. Dixon, James R.;Sabbath, Mike;Worthington, Richard 1962. Comments on snakes from Central and Western México Herpetologica 18 (2): 91-100 - get paper here Fleet, Robert R.;Dixon, James R. 1971. Geographic variation within the long-tailed group of the glossy snake, Arizona elegans Kennicott Herpetologica 27 (3): 295-302 - get paper here Greer, A. E. 1964. The glossy snake Arizona elegans noctivaga in Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico Herpetologica 20 (3): 215 - get paper here Grismer, L. L. 2002. Amphibians and reptiles of Baja California, including its pacific islands and the islands in the Sea of Cortés. Univ. California Press, Berkeley: 399 pp. Hobert, Justin;Donoho, Ron;Montgomery, Chad;Waldron, Kevin;Mackessy, Stephen P. 1996. Geographic Distribution. Arizona elegans elegans Herpetological Review 27 (1): 33 Kennicott 1859. In Baird, U.S: Mexican Bound. Surv. 2, Rept., Pt. 2, p. 14, 16,18, pl.13 Klauber, Laurence M. 1938. Notes from a herpetological diary, I Copeia 1938 (4): 191-197 - get paper here Klauber, Laurence M. 1946. The glossy snake, Arizona, with descriptions of new subspecies. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 10 (17): 311-398 - get paper here Kornacker, P.M. & U. Dederichs 2009. Der Big-Bend-Nationalpark und seine Reptilien. Teil 2: Schlangen. Reptilia (Münster) 14 (1): 51-57 - get paper here Liner,E.A. 1994. Scientific and common names for the Amphibians and Reptiles of Mexico in English and Spanish. Herpetol. Circ. No. 23: 1-113, SSAR McCoy, C. J. 1964. Notes on Snakes from Northern Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 9 (1): 46-48 - get paper here McCranie, J.R. & Wilson, L.D. 2001. The herpetofauna of the Mexican State of Aguascalientes. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 230: 1-57 Persons, Trevor;Bartholomew, Breck 1992. Arizona elegans philipi (Painted desert glossy snake). Distribution Intermontanus 1 (1): 3 Smith, Hobart M. & Taylor, Edward H. 1950. Type localities of Mexican reptiles and amphibians. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 33 (8): 313-380 - get paper here Smith, Hobart M.;Leonard, Arthur B. 1934. Distributional records of reptiles and amphibians in Oklahoma. American Midland Naturalist 15: 190-196 - get paper here Stebbins,R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston Vázquez Díaz, Joel;Quintero Díaz, Gustavo E. 2005. Anfibios y Reptiles de Aguascalientes [2nd ed.]. CONABIO, CIEMA, 318 pp. Werning, Heiko 2012. Die Reptilien und Amphibien des Südwestens Draco 13 (50): 18-60 - get paper here Williams, K. L.;Smith, H. M. 1962. Arizona elegans Kennicott, 1859 (Reptilia); proposed validation under the plenary powers Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 19 (5): 298-300 Williams, Kenneth L.;Chrapliwy, Pete S.;Smith, Hobart M. 1961. Snakes of Northern Mexico Natural History Miscellanea (177): 1-8 Yancey, Franklin D.;Roberts, Kristie Jo 1996. Geographic Distribution. Arizona elegans elegans Herpetological Review 27 (4): 212
External links	IUCN Red List - Arizona elegans - Least Concern, LC http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/snakes/ http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?special=browse&where-lifeform=Reptile&where-taxon=Arizona+elegans http://www.wildherps.com/species/A.elegans.html Google images

Is it interesting? Share with others:

Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator