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Liodytes rigida (SAY, 1825)

IUCN Red List - Liodytes rigida - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesLiodytes rigida deltae (HUHEEY 1959)
Liodytes rigida rigida (SAY 1825)
Liodytes rigida sinicola (HUHEEY 1959) 
Common NamesE: Glossy Swampsnake, Crayfish Snake
deltae: Delta Swampsnake, Delta Crayfish Snake
rigida: Eastern Glossy Swampsnake, Glossy Crayfish Snake
sinicola: Gulf Swampsnake, Gulf Crayfish Snake 
SynonymColuber rigidus SAY 1825: 239
Tropidonotus rigidus — HOLBROOK 1842: 39
Tropidonotus rigidus — DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 577
Regina rigida — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 46
Tropidonotus leberis var. rigidus — JAN 1865: 230
Natrix rigida — COPE 1892: 668
Tropidonotus rigidus — BOULENGER 1893: 240
Natrix rigida — COPE 1900: 989
Natrix rigida — ALLEN 1932
Natrix rigida — CLAY 1938
Natrix rigida — BROWN 1947
Nerodia rigida — CONANT 1978
Liodytes rigida — PRICE 1983
Regina rigida — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 158
Regina rigida — CROTHER 2000
Regina rigida — ERNST & ERNST 2003: 291
Regina rigida — CROTHER et al. 2012
Liodytes rigida — MCVAY & CARSTENS 2013
Regina rigida — WALLACH et al. 2014: 631
Regina rigida — LEMOS-ESPINAL 2015

Liodytes rigida deltae (HUHEEY 1959)
Natrix rigida deltae HUHEEY 1959: 305
Regina rigida deltae — CROTHER 2000
Regina rigida deltae — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 167
Regina rigida deltae — CROTHER et al. 2012

Liodytes rigida rigida (SAY 1825)
Coluber rigidus SAY 1825: 239
Regina rigida rigida — CROTHER 2000
Regina rigida rigida — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 166
Regina rigida rigida — CROTHER et al. 2012

Liodytes rigida sinicola (HUHEEY 1959)
Natrix rigida sinicola HUHEEY 1959: 305
Regina rigida sinicola — CROTHER 2000
Regina rigida sinicola — DIXON 2000
Regina rigida sinicola — TENNANT & BARTLETT 2000: 168
Regina rigida sinicola — CROTHER et al. 2012
Liodytes rigida sinicola — GUYER et al. 2018 
DistributionUSA (E Texas, SE Oklahoma, S Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, S Alabama, S Georgia, N Florida (St. Vincent Island: [HR 31: 187]), South Carolina, E North Carolina, Virginia)

Type locality: “the southern states”

sinicola: USA (Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama); Type locality: USA: Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas.

deltae: USA (Louisiana); Type locality: Paradis, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesHolotype: ANSP 16795
Holotype: INHS (= UIMNH) 1159, W.B. Robertson, (Herpetology Class 1948); May 2, 1948; paratypes: TNHC [sinicola]
Holotype: LSUM 111653 (was TU 11969; erroneously given as TV in Gibbons et al. 2004) [deltae] 
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 2426 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDiet: crayfish 
EtymologyNamed after Latin rigida, stiff, hard; stern; rough.

Liodytes rigida deltae was named after Latin delta, the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river in the shape of a capital Greek delta letter + Latin -ae, suffix indicating pertenence. [“...From the fact that this subspecies inhabits the Mississippi River Delta and surrounding areas...”].

Liodytes rigida sinicola was named after Latin sinus, a bay, bight, gulf. [“...From Latin sinus, gulf or area surrounding a gulf; Latin -cola, an inhabitant...”]. 
References
  • Allen, Morrow J. 1932. A survey of the Amphibians and reptiles of Harrison County, Mississippi. American Museum Novitates (542): 1-20 - get paper here
  • Baird, S. F. and C. Girard. 1853. Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part 1.-Serpents. Smithsonian Inst., Washington, xvi + 172 pp. - 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
  • Brown, Bryce C. 1947. Natrix rigida in Texas. Herpetologica 4: 23-24 - get paper here
  • Buhlmann, Kurt A.;Savitsky, Alan H.;Savitsky, Barbara A.;Mitchell, Joseph C. 1993. Regina rigida (glossy crayfish snake). USA: Virgina. Herpetological Review 24 (4): 156-157 - 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 - get paper here
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  • Clay, William M. 1938. A synopsis of the North American Water Snakes of the genus Natrix. Copeia 1938 (4): 173-182 - get paper here
  • 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.
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  • 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
  • Curtis, Lawrence;Tinkle, Donald W. 1951. The striped water snake, Natrix rigida (Say), in Texas. Field & Laboratory 19 (2): 72-74
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  • Dixon, James R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, second edition. Texas A&M University Press, 421 pp.
  • 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
  • Eimermacher, Thomas G.; Green, Damian T.; Watkins, Lucas 2006. Regina rigida (Glossy Crayfish Snake). Maximum size. Herpetological Review 37 (4): 480 - get paper here
  • Enge, Kevin M. 2009. Venomous and non-venomous snakes of Florida. Publication of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. 16 pp.
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  • Ernst, C.H., & Barbour, R.W. 1989. Snakes of eastern North America. George Mason Univ. Press, Fairfax, VA 282 pp.
  • Fedler, M.T.; Domohowski, T.M.; Nguyen, T. 2023. Geographic distribution: Liodytes rigida (Glossy Swampsnake). USA: Florida: Levy Co. Herpetological Review 54 (4): 601.
  • Gibbons, J. W. & Mike Dorcas 2004. North American Water Snakes. University of Oklahoma Press, 496 pp.
  • Guyer, Craig; Mark A. Bailey, and Robert H. Mount 2018. Lizards and snakes of Alabama. University of Alabama Press, 397 pp. - get paper here
  • Harris, Bess B., Kevin M. Enge and Jonathan D. Mays. 2016. Geographic Distribution: Regina rigida rigida (Eastern Glossy Swampsnake). Herpetological Review 47 (1): 84 - get paper here
  • Hart, Morgan P., Davega, Henry, Arnott, Stephen A., Harold, Antony S. and Grosse, Andrew M. 2016. Regina rigida (Glossy Crayfish Snake) Predation. Herpetological Review 47 (4): 688 - get paper here
  • Hibbitts, Toby J.;Hibbits, Terry L. 1998. Geographic distribution. Regina rigida sinicola. Herpetological Review 29 (3): 174 - get paper here
  • Holbrook, John E. 1842. North American Herpetology; or, A description of the reptiles inhabiting the United States. Vol I (2nd ed.). J. Dobson, Philadelphia, 152 pp. - get paper here
  • Huheey, James E. 1959. Distribution and variation in the glossy water snake, Natrix rigida (Say). Copeia 1959 (4): 303-311 - get paper here
  • Huheey, James E.;Palmer, William M. 1962. The eastern glossy water snake, Regina rigida rigida, in North Carolina. Herpetologica 18 (2): 140-141 - get paper here
  • Irwin, Kelly J. 2004. Arkansas Snake Guide. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, Little Rock, 50 pp.
  • Jensen, John B.; Carlos D. Camp, Whit Gibbons, & Matt J. Elliott 2008. Amphibians and reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, 575 pp.
  • Koenig, J R; Jobe, K L; Evert, S E; Adams, C S & Schalk, C M; 2019. Geographic Distribution: Liodytes rigida (Glossy Swampsnake) USA: Texas: Trinity Co. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 529-530 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Lemos-Espinal, Julio A. (ed.) 2015. Amphibians and Reptiles of the US - Mexico Border States / Anfibios y Reptiles de los Estados de la Frontera México - Estados Unidos. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas. x + 614 pp.; ISBN 978-1-62349-306-6. - get paper here
  • Lillywhite, Harvey B. 2014. How Snakes Work: Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes. Oxford University Press, New York, 256 pp
  • Linzey, D.W., & Clifford, M.J. 1981. Snakes of Virgina. Univ. Press of Virginia, Charlottesville 159 pp.
  • Lutterschmidt, William I.; J.M. Weidler, and Christopher M. Schalk 2019. Hot Moments and Hot Spots in the Bayou: Spatiotemporal Patterns of Road Occurrence in a Snake Assemblage in Louisiana, USA. Herp. Conserv. Biology 14 (2): - get paper here
  • McAllister, C. T., H. W. Robison and D. A. Neely 2016. Geographic Distribution: Liodytes rigida sinicola (Gulf Swampsnake). Herpetological Review 47(3): 427. - 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
  • Mitchell, J.C. 1994. The reptiles of Virginia. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, ca. 350 pp.
  • Palmer, W.M. & Braswell, A.L. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. Univ. North Carolina Press
  • Palmer, William M. 1962. The eastern glossy water snake, Regina rigida rigida, in North Carolina. Herpetologica 18 (2): 140-141 - get paper here
  • Price,R. 1983. Microdermatoglyphics: the Liodytes-Regiona problem. Journal of Herpetology 17 (3): 292-294 - get paper here
  • Say, T. 1824. Description of three new species of Coluber, inhabiting the United States. J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4 (2): 237-242 - get paper here
  • STEVENSON, DIRK J. et al. 2021. New County Records for Amphibians and Reptiles in Georgia, USA. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 350-359
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  • Tumlison, Renn and Kory G. Roberts 2018. Prey-handling Behavior in the Gulf Crayfish Snake (Liodytes rigida). Herp. Cons. Biol. 13 (3): 617–621 - get paper here
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  • Werler, John E. & James R. Dixon 2000. Texas Snakes. University of Texas Press, 544 pages
 
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