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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 
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] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (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. 
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. - 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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