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Liodytes alleni (GARMAN, 1874)

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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Striped Swampsnake, Striped Crayfish Snake 
SynonymHelicops alleni GARMAN 1874: 92
Helicops alleni — GARMAN 1884: 34
Helicops alleni — BOULENGER 1893: 275
Liodytes alleni — LOENNBERG 1894
Liodytes alleni — COPE 1900: 1013
Liodytes alleni — WELLER 1930
Liodytes alleni — CONANT 1978
Regina alleni — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 159
Regina alleni — CROTHER 2000
Regina alleni — DORCAS et al. 2003
Liodytes alleni — MCVAY & CARSTENS 2013
Regina alleni — WALLACH et al. 2014: 630 
DistributionUSA (Florida, S Georgia)

Type locality: near Jacksonville, Florida  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesHolotype: MCZ 2255, a 650 mm female (J.A. Allen, Mar. 1869). 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): The separation of Liodytes from Regina has depended entirely on two characters, tooth shape and microdermatoglyphic pattern. In addition, the teeth are chisel-like (see Rossman, 1963, fig. 5), and hinged basally (Rojas and Godley, 1979). Other characteristics are a black-brown-cream striped dorsal pattern; a relatively short, a narrow head (although alleni is an exception regarding shortness). A very small pupil (usually comprising less than ½ the eye diameter); a small naris (situated medially in the nasal scale and comprising ⅓ or less its height); a relatively short hemipenis, single or weakly bilobed (see Rossman and Eberle, 1977, fig. 4); the teeth relatively short and stout (the degree varying morphoclinally; see preceding discussion); the posterior ends of the ptyergoids weakly divergent; no ventral keel on the parasphenoid; no posteromedian ridge on the parietal; a moderately well-developed interorbital foramen; and a short prefrontal (height 3 to 4 times greater than length). (Rossman 1985)


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CommentType species: Helicops alleni GARMAN 1874: 92 is the type species of the genus Liodytes COPE 1885: 194.

Habitat: L. R. alleni and L. rigida, are burrowers in mud and/or dense aquatic vegetation, hence a low-relief, low-friction scale microornamentation may be an advantageous adaptation.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
References
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. London (Taylor & Francis), 448 pp. - get paper here
  • Burbrink FT, Futterman I. 2019. Female‐ biased gape and body-size dimorphism in the New World watersnakes (tribe: Thamnophiini) oppose predictions from Rensch's rule. Ecol Evol. 00:1–10
  • Conant,R. 1978. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Conant,R. & Collins,J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin (Boston/New York), xx + 450 p.
  • Cooper, B.W. 1948. An Erythristic Liodytes alleni Copeia 1948 (4): 304. - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1900. The crocodilians, lizards and snakes of North America. Ann. Rep. U.S. Natl. Mus. 1898: 153-1270 - 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
  • Dorcas, M.E.; Poppy, S.M.; Ernst, C.H. & Gibbons, J.W. 2003. Regina alleni - Stripes crayfish snake. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (778): 1-4 - get paper here
  • Durso, A.M., Marquez, D., Middleton, J. & Herrera, R. 2017. Liodytes allenii (Striped Crayfish Snake) Predation. Herpetological Review 48 (4): 860-861 - get paper here
  • Dwyer, C.M. & H. Kaiser 1997. Relationship between Skull Form and Prey Selection in the Thamnophiine Snake Genera Nerodia and Regina Journal of Herpetology 31 (4): 463-475. - get paper here
  • Enge, Kevin M. 2009. Venomous and non-venomous snakes of Florida. Publication of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. 16 pp.
  • Ernst, C.H., & Barbour, R.W. 1989. Snakes of eastern North America. George Mason Univ. Press, Fairfax, VA 282 pp.
  • Garman, S. 1874. Description of a new species of North American serpent. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. 17: 92-94 - 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
  • Gibbons, J. W. & Mike Dorcas 2004. North American Water Snakes. University of Oklahoma Press, 496 pp.
  • Gomard, Guillaume 2014. Feldnotizen aus dem Everglades-Nationalpark. Terraria-Elaphe 2014 (5): 44-50 - get paper here
  • Howell, H J; Harman, M E A & Delgado, G L; 2019. Liodytes alleni (Striped Crayfish Snake) Predation. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 594-595 - get paper here
  • Jensen, John B.; Carlos D. Camp, Whit Gibbons, & Matt J. Elliott 2008. Amphibians and reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, 575 pp.
  • Lawson, R. 1987. Molecular studies of Thamnophiine snakes: 1. The phylogeny of the genus Nerodia. Journal of Herpetology 21 (2): 140-157 - get paper here
  • Lönnberg, Einar 1894. Notes on reptiles and batrachians collected in Florida in 1892 and 1893. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 17 (1003): 317-339 - get paper here
  • McVay, John David; Bryan Carstens 2013. Testing monophyly without well-supported gene trees: Evidence from multi-locus nuclear data conflicts with existing taxonomy in the snake tribe Thamnophiini. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 68, Issue 3, September 2013, Pages 425–431 - get paper here
  • Mueller, Noah J. and Kenneth L. Krysko. 2014. Geographic Distribution: Regina alleni (striped crayfish snake). Herpetological Review 45 (3): 466-467 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Palis, John G. 2002. Geographic distribution. Regina alleni. Herpetological Review 33 (2):151 - get paper here
  • Roelke, Corey E. 2005. Regina alleni (Glossy Crayfish Snake) Coloration. Herpetological Review 36 (2):196. - get paper here
  • Rossman, Douglas A. 1963. Relationships and taxonomic status of the North American natricine snake genera Liodytes, Regina and Clonophis. Occasional papers of the Museum of Zoology, Louisiana State University (29): 1-29 - get paper here
  • Tennant, A. 2003. Snakes of North America - Eastern and Central Regions, revised edition. Lone Star Books, 605 pp.
  • Tennant, A. & Bartlett, R.D. 2000. Snakes of North America - Eastern and Central Regions. Gulf Publishing, Houston, TX, 588 pp.
  • Tschambers, B. 1950. Number of young of Liodytes alleni Herpetologica 6 (2): 48. - 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.
  • Weller, H. 1930. Recent Acquisition to the Department of Herpetology. Proc. Jr. Soc. Nat. Hist. Cincinnati 1 (4): 19-20 [unnumbered pages]
 
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