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Contia tenuis (BAIRD & GIRARD, 1852)

IUCN Red List - Contia tenuis - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: (Common) Sharptail Snake
G: Dornschwanzschlange 
SynonymCalamaria tenuis BAIRD & GIRARD 1852
Contia mitis BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 110
Contia mitis — GARMAN 1884: 93
Contia mitis — COPE 1900: 925
Lodia tenuis — COPE 1900: 927 (in error)
Contia tenuis — FITCH 1936
Contia tenuis — STEBBINS 1985: 176
Contia tenuis — CROTHER 2000: 59
Contia tenuis — ERNST & ERNST 2003: 87
Contia tenuis — CROTHER et al. 2012
Contia tenuis — WALLACH et al. 2014: 181
Contia tenuis — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025 
DistributionCanada (British Columbia),
USA (Washington, Oregon, California)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 7289, also given as BMNH 1946.1.5.34-35
Holotype: USNM 2034 [Contia mitis] 
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 2804 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentFELDMAN & PRICER (2002) suggested that Contia tenuis may contain a cryptic species, separated formally by FELDMAN & HOYER (2010) and named C. longicaudae.

Type species: Calamaria tenuis BAIRD & GIRARD 1852 is the type species of the genus Contia BAIRD & GIRARD 1852. WALLACH et al. 2014: 181 give the year of publication as 1853.

Synonymy: partly after WALLACH et al. 2014.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin “tenuis” = slender.

The genus was named after John Lawrence LeConte (1825-1883), US American entomologist and naturalist. 
References
  • Baird, S.F. and Girard,C. 1852. Descriptions of new species of reptiles, collected by the U.S. exploring expedition under the command of Capt. Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. First part. - Including the species from the Western coast of America. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 6: 174-177 - get paper here
  • Beaman, Kent R. and Nate G. Tucker. 2014. Contia tenuis (sharp-tailed snake) predation. Herpetological Review 45 (3): 514 - get paper here
  • Cook, S.F., Jr. 1960. On the occurrence and life history of Contia tenuis Herpetologica 16 (3): 163-173. - get paper here
  • Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92
  • Cunningham, J.D. 1962. High elevation records of Contia tenuis Herpetologica 18 (2): 133-134. - get paper here
  • Cunningham, John D. 1963. High elevation records of Contia tenuis. Herpetologica 18 (2): 133-134 - get paper here
  • Ernst, C.H. & Ernst, E.M. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, 668 pp.
  • Feldman, C.R. & Spicer, G.S. 2002. Mitochondrial variation in sharp-tailed snakes (Contia tenuis): evidence of a cryptic species. Journal of Herpetology 36 (4): 648-655 - get paper here
  • Fitch, H. S. 1936. Amphibians and reptiles of the Rouge River Basin, Oregon. American Midland Naturalist 17: 634-652 - get paper here
  • Garman, Samuel 1884. The reptiles and batrachians of North America. Mem. Mus. comp. Zool, Cambridge (Massachusetts), 8 (3): xxxiv + 185 pp. [1883] [CNAH reprint 10] - get paper here
  • Goldberg, S.R. 2017. Contia tenuis (Common Sharptailed Snake) Reproduction. Herpetological Review 48 (3): 669-670. - get paper here
  • Govindarajulu, Purnima; Leigh Anne Isaac, Christian Engelstoft, and Kristiina Ovaska 2011. Relevance of Life-History Parameter Estimation to Conservation Listing: Case of the Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis). Journal of Herpetology 45 (3): 300-307. - get paper here
  • Hansen, Robert and Jackson D. Shedd 2025. California Amphibians and Reptiles. Princeton University Press, 528 pp., ISBN<br />9780691249087 (ebook) - get paper here
  • Harris, R.W. 1959. An Altitude Record for Contia tenuis Herpetologica 15 (2): 104. - get paper here
  • Hoyer, Richard F. 2001. Discovery of a Probable New Species in the Genus Contia. Northwestern Naturalist 82 (3):116-122 - get paper here
  • Hoyer,R.F., O’Donnell, R.P. & Mason, R.T. 2006. CURRENT DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF SHARP-TAILED SNAKES (CONTIA TENUIS ) IN OREGON. Northwestern Naturalist 87: 195-202 - get paper here
  • Kristiina Ovaska, Christian Engelstoft, Lennart Sopuck, David Robichaud 2021. Spatial distribution and abundance of Common Sharp-tailed Snakes (Contia tenuis) on Observatory Hill, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. J North American Herpetology 2021 (2) - get paper here
  • Leonard, William P ; Ovaska, Kristina 1998. Contia, C. tenuis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 677: 1-7 - get paper here
  • Morales, N & Hansen, R W; 2019. Geographic Distribution: Contia tenuis (Common Sharp-tailed Snake) USA: California: Merced Co., Stanislaus Co. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 528 - get paper here
  • Nussbaum, R.A., Brodie, E.D., Jr., & Storm, R.M. 1983. Amphibians and reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Univ. Press of Idaho, Moscow 332 pp.
  • O'Donnell, Ryan P. and Doug McCutchen 2008. A Sharp-tailed snake, Contia tenuis, in the San Juan Islands: Western Washington's first record in 58 years. Northwestern Naturalist 89 (2): 107-109 - get paper here
  • OLDHAM, CHRISTIAN R.; RUSSEL BARSH & MADRONA MURPHY. 2021. CONTIA TENUIS (Common Sharp-tailed Snake). REPRODUCTION. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 418–419. - get paper here
  • Olson, E. O. 2023. SCANNER IMAGING OF COMMON SHARP-TAILED SNAKES (CONTIA TENUIS) FOR INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFICATION. Northwestern Naturalist, 104(1), 26-36 - get paper here
  • OLSON, ERIC O. 2021. CONTIA TENUIS (Common Sharp-tailed Snake). DIURNAL SURFACE ACTIVITY and ANTHROPOGENIC MORTALITY. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 661–662. - get paper here
  • OVASKA, KRISTIINA; CHRISTIAN ENGELSTOFT, LENNART SOPUCK & DAVID ROBICHAUD. 2021. Spatial distribution and abundance of Common Sharp-tailed Snakes (Contia tenuis) on Observatory Hill, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Journal of North American Herpetology 2021.(2). - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Pilliod, D., Jeffries, M., Arkle, R. and Olson, D. 2024. Climate Futures for Lizards and Snakes in Western North America May Result in New Species Management Issues. Ecol Evol, 14: e70379 - get paper here
  • Rensel, Leah J; Ruth L Milner, Marc P Hayes, Doug A Mccutchen 2019. Discoveries of the Common Sharp-Tailed Snake (Contia tenuis) in the San Juan Islands, Washington, 2013–2017. Northwestern Naturalist 100 (1): 48-56 - get paper here
  • Stebbins,R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Stickel, William H. 1951. Distinctions between the snake genera Contia and Eirenis. Herpetologica 7: 125-132 - get paper here
  • Tanner, W.W. 1967. Contia tenuis Baird and Girard in Continental British Columbia, Canada Herpetologica 23 (4): 323. - get paper here
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Werning, Heiko 2012. Die Reptilien und Amphibien des Südwestens. Draco 13 (50): 18-60 - get paper here
  • Zweifel, R.G. 1954. Adaptation to Feeding in the Snake Contia tenuis Copeia 1954 (4): 299-300. - get paper here
 
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