Clonophis kirtlandii (KENNICOTT, 1856)
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Clonophis kirtlandii
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Kirtland's Snake |
| Synonym | Regina kirtlandii KENNICOTT 1856: 95 Tropidonotus kirtlandii — GARMAN 1884: 28 Regina kirtlandii — GARMAN 1884: plate I Ischnognathus kirtlandii — BOULENGER 1893: 286 Natrix kirtlandii — COPE 1900: 995 Natrix kirtlandii — WALKER 1931 Natrix kirtlandii — CONANT 1938 Natrix kirtlandii — CONANT 1943 Natrix kirtlandi — CLARK 1962 Clonophis kirtlandii — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 160 Clonophis kirtlandii — CROTHER 2000: 58 Chlonophis [sic] kirtlandii — HIGHTON et al. 2002 Nerodia kirtlandi Clonophis kirtlandii — CROTHER et al. 2012 Clonophis kirtlandii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 171 |
| Distribution | USA (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, S Michigan, CN Kentucky, W Pennsylvania) Type locality: "Northern Illinois." Restricted to West Northfield, Cook County, Illinois, by Conant, 1943: 317. |
| Reproduction | ovoviviparous |
| Types | Lectotype, USNM 1514, a 509 mm female (R.W. Kennicott), designated by Conant, 1943: 314. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): A genus of natricine snakes characterized by having: a dorsal pattern of four longitudinal rows of relatively large, dark, rounded blotches on a brown or grey-brown ground color; a red venter bearing a row of black spots along each lateral margin; the labials largely unmarked; a relatively short head, scarcely distinct from the neck; a moderately large pupil; the internasals broad anteriorly, the nares lateral; each naris relatively small and situated medially in the nasal scale; 5 or 6 supralabials; 19 scale rows at midbody; the anal plate divided; the short hemipenes single or weakly bilobed, each with a simple sulcus spermaticus; the maxillary teeth subequal, with all teeth relatively short, stout, and weakly curved; the posterior ends of the pterygoids practically nondivergent; no ventral process on the basioccipital; the parietal bone almost smooth, with no trace of a postero-median ridge; the prefrontal a little more than twice as high as it is long; no ventral keel on the parasphenoid; a well-developed interorbital foramen; the quadrate greatly expanded dorsally; the supratemporal somewhat reduced; the nasal bones greatly expanded, in relatively broad contact with the premaxilla and the frontal bones; a diet consisting largely, if not exclusively, of earthworms and slugs.(Rossman 1963) Unfortunately 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 2903 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Not listed by Craven & Knudsen (1996) and CNAH (2010, online) for Wisconsin. Type species: Regina kirtlandii KENNICOTT 1856 is the type species of the genus Clonophis COPE 1889. |
| Etymology | Named after Dr. Jared Potter Kirtland (1793-1877), an American naturalist, botanist, doctor, legislator, teacher, and writer. He founded the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Cleveland Medical College. The genus was probably named after Greek clonos (κλώνός), branch or sprig (of a tree) + Greek ophis (ὄφις), a serpent, snake. |
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