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Sonora semiannulata BAIRD & GIRARD, 1853

IUCN Red List - Sonora semiannulata - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Ground Snake
S: Culebrilla de Tierra 
SynonymSonora semiannulata BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 117
Lamprosoma episcopum KENNICOTT in BAIRD 1859
Homalosoma episcopum — JAN 1865
Contia isozona COPE 1866: 304
Contia episcopa torquata COPE 1880: 21
Contia semiannulata — GARMAN 1884: 90
Contia isozona — GARMAN 1884: 92
Contia episcopa — GARMAN 1884: 94
Contia torquatus — BOULENGER 1894: 265
Contia episcopa — MOCQUARD 1899: 319
Contia nuchalis SCHENKEL 1901
Sonora episcopa — STICKEL 1938: 184
Sonora episcopa — FORCE 1928
Sonora semiannulata blanchardi STICKEL 1938: 185
Sonora semiannulata gloydi STICKEL 1938: 186
Sonora miniata miniata STICKEL 1938: 187
Sonora miniata linearis STICKEL 1938: 189 (fide SMITH 1945: 130)
Sonora semiannulata linearis — SMITH 1945: 130
Sonora bancroftae KLAUBER 1943
Sonora bancroftae — SMITH & TAYLOR 1945
Sonora episcopa — SMITH & TAYLOR 1945
Sonora semiannulata blanchardi — SMITH & TAYLOR 1945
Sonora episcopa — WEBB & ORTENBURGER 1953
Sonora episcopa — DOWLING 1959
Sonora semiannulata isozona COPE — BRADLEY & DEACON 1966 ?
Sonora semiannulata — STEBBINS 1985: 212
Sonora semiannulata — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 214
Sonora semiannulata — LINER 1994
Sonora episcopa —SHINE 1994
Sonora semiannulata — CROTHER 2000
Sonora semiannulata semiannulata — DIXON 2000
Sonora semiannulata — CROTHER et al. 2012
Sonora semiannulata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 681
Sonora (Sonora) semiannulata — COX et al. 2018 
DistributionUSA (W Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, S Colorado, S Kansas, SW Missouri, SE Utah [HR 30: 55], California, Arkansas),
Mexico (Baja California, N Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, NW Nuevo Leon, NE Durango)

Type locality: Restricted to the Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona (originally stated "Sonora").

invalid taxa:

bancroftae: Type-locality, "San Jorge, Lower California [Baja California Norte], Mexico."

blanchardi: Texas; Type locality: "northeastern slopes of the Chisos Mountains, Brewster County, Texas."

gloydi: Arizona; Type locality: Grand Canyon, Bright Angel Trail.

isozona: Nevada; Type locality not stated in original description.

mineata: Type locality, "2 miles northwest of Mesa [Maricopa County], Arizona."

linearis: Type locality, "Seeley, Imperial County, California."

nuchalis: Type locality, "Fort Worth (Tex.)."  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 2109
Holotype: SDNHM 3077 (formerly L. M. Klauber), female, collected by Mrs. Griffing Bancroft, 10 April 1942 [bancroftae]
Holotype: UMMZ 83122, female, collected by F. N. Blanchard and J. T. Carney, 28 September 1935 [blanchardi]
Holotype: UMMZ 83754, female, collected by William Holzmark, 1936 [gloydi]
Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH [bancroftae]
Holotype: SDNHM 2013 (formerly L. M. Klauber), female, collected by Chas. McHone, 15 July 1929 [linearis]
Holotype: Chicago Acad. Sci. 5139, female, collected by Earl Sanders, date unknown [miniata]
Holotype: MVZ 13772 (male) [mosaueri]
Holotype: USNM 11417 [Contia isozona] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: This species is distinct from S. cincta, S. fasciata, S. straminea, S. aemula, S. annulata, S. occipitalis and S. palarostris by the lack of rostral or caudal adaptations. Sonora episcopa can be potentially confused with S. semiannulata, S. mosaeri, S. mutabilis and S. michoacanensis. The S. semiannulata species group has been historically difficult to define using morphological characteristics, and in fact it was this lack of clear colour pattern or meristic characters delimiting species that led Frost and VanDevender (1979) and Frost (1983a, 1983b) to synonymize many different species and subspecies into S. semiannulata. However, our genetic data show clear reciprocal monophyly of S. episcopa, S. taylori, S. mosaueri and S. semiannulata. Perhaps the best way to distinguish S. semiannulata from S. episcopa, S. mosaeri, S. mutabilis or S. michoacanensis is by geographic range (see below). Beyond geographic range, the expression of colour pattern in morphs that express black crossbands seems to distinguish S. episcopa and S. semiannulata. Sonora semiannulata generally has rectangular black crossbands, while S. episcopa has ovalshaped saddles. There are no other consistent meristic or qualitative characters that seem to separate these species, despite deep evolutionary divergences (Cox et al. 2018: 969). 
CommentType species: Sonora semiannulata BAIRD & GIRARD 1853 is the type species of the genus Sonora BAIRD & GIRARD 1853.

All species of Sonora possess colour pattern polymorphism, with uniform, striped, banded, bicolour and tricolour morphs known for the different species.

Synonymy: Mostly after Frost 1983. Sonora mosaueri has been considered a synonym of Sonora semiannulata until Cox et al. 2018 revalidated it. 
EtymologyThe name semiannulata is from the Latin meaning "half-ringed," in reference to body cross-bands that fail to cross the venter. 
References
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