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Heterodon nasicus BAIRD & GIRARD, 1852

IUCN Red List - Heterodon nasicus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Dipsadinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesHeterodon nasicus nasicus BAIRD & GIRARD 1852
Heterodon nasicus gloydi EDGREN 1952 
Common NamesE: Western Hognose Snake, Plains Hognose Snake
G: Westliche Hakennasennatter (Hakennatter)
E: Dusty Hognose Snake [gloydi] 
SynonymHeterodon nasicus BAIRD & GIRARD 1852: 352
Heterodon nasicus — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 61
Heterodon simus var. nasicus — GARMAN 1884: 77
Heterodon nasicus — COPE 1900: 772
Heterodon nasicus nasicus — COPE 1900: 774
Heterodon nasicus — STEBBINS 1985: 176
Heterodon nasicus — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 176
Heterodon nasicus — LINER 1994
Heterodon nasicus nasicus — WALLEY & ECKERMAN 1999
Heterodon nasicus nasicus — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 353
Heterodon nasicus — ERNST & ERNST 2003: 141
Heterodon nasicus nasicus — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009
Heterodon nasicus — CROTHER et al. 2012
Heterodon nasicus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 329
Heterodon nasicus nasicus — NICHOLSON et al. 2025

Heterodon nasicus gloydi EDGREN 1952
Heterodon nasicus gloydi EDGREN 1952
Heterodon nasicus gloydi — CROTHER 2000: 62
Heterodon nasicus gloydi — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 355
Heterodon gloydi — BOUNDY 2003
Heterodon nasicus gloydi — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009
Heterodon nasicus gloydi — KUNZ 2012
Heterodon gloydi — CROTHER et al. 2012
Heterodon gloydi — CROTHER et al. 2017: 67
Heterodon nasicus gloydi — NICHOLSON et al. 2025 
DistributionCanada (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan),
USA (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, E Wyoming, Illinois, Iowa, E Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, W Minnesota, New Mexico)

Type locality: “Texas”; Restricted to Rio Grande, approx. 19 air miles (30.6 km) downstream from Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas, by WEBB & ECKERMAN (1998).

gloydi: USA (Texas, Oklahoma); Type locality: "Wheelock, Robertson County, Texas."  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: USNM 1249, designated by Webb & Eckerman 1998; original holotype USNM 1272 (lost)
Holotype: USNM 5083, female [gloydi] 
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 5538 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: Erroneously reported from Arkansas [HR 7: 123; HR 32: 59]. Not corrected for removal of subspecies. Not in Mexico where it replaced by H. kennerlyi, formerly a subspecies of H. nasicus (O. Flores-Villlea, pers. comm., 21 June 2021). See map in Walley & Eckerman 1999.

Subspecies: The subspecies of H. nasicus seem to represent arbitrarily delimited sections of continuous variation (EDGREN 1952, cited in CROTHER 2000). However, SMITH et al. 2003 suggested to elevate Heterodon nasicus kennerlyi to full species status, based on two scale characters. Werler and Dixon (2000) regarded H. n. gloydi to be an allopatric, diagnosable taxon restricted to the low plains - eastern forest ecotone of eastern Texas. Smith et al. (2003) countered that it was not diagnosable. Heterodon kennerlyi is treated here as full species.

Diet: frogs, toads, salamanders, lizards, snakes, birds, insects

Synonymy: See also H. nasicus and H. n. kennerlyi. WALLACH et al. 2014: 329 listed gloydi as synonym of nasicus. Walley & Eckerman 1999 did not recognize gloydi but Crother et al. 2017 did, although in a personal communication Crother and Eckerman (23 June 2018) agree that gloydi should be treated as synonym of nasicus. 
EtymologyThe name nasicus is derived from the Latin "nasus" (nose), in reference to the upturned snout. 
References
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