Sonora annulata (BAIRD, 1859)
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Sonora annulata
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | Sonora annulata annulata (BAIRD 1859) Sonora annulata klauberi (STICKEL 1941) |
| Common Names | E: Colorado Desert Shovelnose Snake klauberi: Tucson Shovelnose Snake |
| Synonym | Lamprosoma annulatum BAIRD 1859 Chionactis occipitalis annulata — SMITH & HOLLAND 1971 Chionactis occipitalis saxatilis FUNK 1967 Chionactis occipitalis annulata — CROTHER 2000: 58 Chionactis occipitalis annulata — CROTHER et al. 2012 Chionactis annulata annulata — WOOD et al. 2014 Chionactis annulata — FELDMAN et al. 2015 Sonora (Chionactis) annulata — COX et al. 2018: 975 Chionactis annulata — LEMOS-ESPINAL et al. 2019 Sonora annulata — HERPMAPPER 2020 Sonora annulata klauberi (STICKEL 1941) Sonora occipitalis klauberi STICKEL 1941 Chionactis occipitalis klauberi — CROTHER 2000: 58 Chionactis occipitalis klauberi — CROTHER et al. 2012 Chionactis annulata klauberi — WOOD et al. 2014 Sonora annulatus klauberi — COX et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | USA (SE California, Arizona, Baja California); Terra typica: “Colorado desert”, restricted to Holtville, Imperial County, California by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950. klauberi: USA (SC Arizona: Sonoran Desert); Type locality: "Tucson, Pima County. Arizona” |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Syntypes: USNM 2105a and 2105b Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH 29647, adult male; paratype SDNHM = SDSNH 17115 [klauberi] Syntype: USNM 2105, 2106 [Lamprosoma annulatum] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Sonora annulata can be distinguished from all other Sonora, excepting S. occipitalis and S. palarostris, by the presence of a flattened, spadelike rostrum. Wood et al. (2014); distinguish S. annulata from S. occipitalis by the presence of black crossbands (as opposed to brown crossbands in S. occipitalis) and the presence of a red secondary crossband. Sonora annulata can be distinguished from S. palarostris by having more than 23 crossbands (as opposed to less than 23 in S. palarostris) according to Wood et al. (2014) (Cox et al. 2018: 975). Additional details (928 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Synonymy: mostly after Mahrdt et al. 2001. WALLACH et al. 2014: 160 listed this species as a synonym of Chionactis occipitalis. Subspecies: Wood et al. (2008) concluded that “Neither molecular nor morphological data are concordant with the traditional C. occipitalis subspecies taxonomy. Mitochondrial sequences suggest specimens recognized as C. o. klauberi are embedded in a larger geographic clade whose range has expanded from western Arizona populations, and these data are concordant with clinal longitudinal variation in morphology.” Consequently, the subspecies of C. occipitalis should be rejected. The subspecies are distinguished partly by ventral scale counts and number of dark bands encircling the body, but the most striking variation is in pattern and coloration of secondary bands (Stickel 1941; Klauber 1951). Distribution: not in Sonora fide Lemos-Espinal et al. 2019 but in Sonora fide Cox et al. 2018 (map in Fig. 5). |
| Etymology | The name occipitalis is derived from the Latin occipit meaning the back of the head, in reference to "the occipital crescent blotch" (Baird 1859a). |
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