You are here » home › advanced search › Masticophis mentovarius

Masticophis mentovarius (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL, 1854)

IUCN Red List - Masticophis mentovarius - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Masticophis mentovarius?

Add your own observation of
Masticophis mentovarius »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesMasticophis mentovarius centralis ROZE 1953
Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854)
Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis (PETERS 1868)
Masticophis mentovarius striolatus (MERTENS 1934)
Masticophis mentovarius variolosus (SMITH 1943) 
Common NamesE: Neotropical Whip Snake
G: Amerikanische Peitschennatter
S: Sabanera 
SynonymCoryphodon Mento-varius DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 187
Bascanium mentovarium — COPE 1879: 271
Coluber constrictor var. mentovarius — GARMAN 1884: 42
Coryphodon mentovarius — BOCOURT 1888 (fide VILLA et al. 1988)
Zamenis mentovarius — BOULENGER 1893: 389
Masticophis mentovarius — ORTENBURGER 1923
Masticophis mentovarius — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 189
Masticophis mentovarius — LINER 1994
Masticophis mentovarius — LEE 2000: 307
Coluber mentovarius — SAVAGE 2002: 651
Coluber mentovarius — UTIGER et al. 2005 (by implication)
Coluber mentovarius — MCCRANIE 2011: 100
Masticophis mentovarius — WALLACH et al. 2014: 418
Masticophis mentovarius — SUNYER 2014
Masticophis mentovarius — SOLIS et al. 2014
Coluber mentovarius — MCCRANIE 2015
Masticophis mentovarius — O’CONNELL et al. 2017
Masticophis mentovarius — MYERS et al. 2017
Masticophis lineatus — MATA-SILVA et al. 2019
Masticophis lineatus — AHUMADA-CARRILLO et al. 2020
Coluber mentovarius — SUNYER & MARTÍNEZ-FONSECA 2023

Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius (DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854)
Coryphodon Mento-varius DUMÉRIL, BIBRON & DUMÉRIL 1854: 187
Bascanion suboculare COPE 1867: 319
Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius — SMITH 1942: 87
Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970

Masticophis mentovarius centralis ROZE 1953
Coluber (Masticophis) mentovarius centralis ROZE 1953: 117
Masticophis mentovarius centralis — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 189

Masticophis mentovarius striolatus (MERTENS 1934)
Coluber lineatus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854
Masticophis lineatus — ORTENBURGER 1928
Coluber striolatus MERTENS 1934: 190 (nom. nov.)
Masticophis flagellum striolatus — SMITH 1941: 393
Masticophis flagellum striolatus — DAVIS & SMITH 1953
Masticophis striolatus striolatus — ZWEIFEL & NORRIS 1955
Masticophis striolatus striolatus — LEWIS 1956
Masticophis lineatus — ZWEIFEL 1960
Masticophis striolatus — HARDY 1969: 184
Masticophis mentovarius striolatus — JOHNSON 1977
Masticophis mentovarius striolatus — WEBB 1984
Masticophis mentovarius striolatus — TANNER 1985: 637
Masticophis striolatus — MEHRTENS 1987: 146
Masticophis lineatus — O’CONNELL et al. 2018

Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis (PETERS 1869)
Spilotes corais var. suborbitalis PETERS 1869: 641
Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis — SMITH 1942: 86
Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970
Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis — BAUER et al. 1995: 74
Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis — GORZULA & SEÑARIS 1999

Masticophis mentovarius variolosus SMITH 1943
Masticophis flagellum variolosus SMITH 1943: 448
Masticophis flagellum variolosus — SMITH & TAYLOR 1945
Masticophis mentovarius variolosus — JOHNSON 1982 
DistributionMexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Guerrero, Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Aguascalientes, Michoacan, Quéretaro, Jalisco, Sonora, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Puebla, Durango, Veracruz), Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela (Mérida, Cojedes), Isla Margarita

Type locality, "Mexique," restricted to "Tehuantepec, Oaxaca" by Smith and Taylor (1950: 340)

centralis: Colombia; Type locality: Maicao, Guajira, Colombia.

striolatus: Mexico (Sinaloa, Morelos, Chihuahua near the border of Sonora); Type locality: Mexico

suborbitalis: Venezuela (Mérida) [Esqueda & La Marca 1999]); Type locality: Caracas (Venezuela).

variolosus: Mexico (Tres Marias Islands); Type locality: "Maria Magdelena Island," Tres Marias Islands, Nayarit, Mexico (corrected by Zweifel, 1960, to "Maria Madre Island").  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: MNHN-RA 3199 and MNHN-RA 3331, both females
Holotype: USNM [variolosus]
Holotype: USNM 115107, juvenile male, found in the crop of a Buteo albicaudatus by A. Wetmore and M. A. Carriker, Jr., 16 April 1941 [centralis]
Lectotype: MNHN-RA 1648, adult female, collected by A. A. Duges in 1868; paralectotypes: MNHN-RA 1519-1520, MNHN-RA 1648. [striolatus]
Holotype: ZMB 3010, collector and date of collection unknown [suborbitalis]
Syntype: USNM 6753, 6762 [Bascanion suboculare] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Masticophis mentovarius can be distinguished from its closest relative, M. flagellum (in sympatric areas), by the following characters: supralabials number 7 (8 in flagellum), or if 8, no spots on the chin and throat (the chin and throat are spotted in flagellum) (Johnson 1982).


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 2755 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970, who also list only 3 subspecies (mentovarius, centralis, suborbitalis). Philodryas varius was formerly considered to be a synonym of C. mentovarius but has been revalidated.

Distribution: not in Bolivia; Philodryas varius, a former synonym of C. mentovarius, does occur in Bolivia; however, P. varius has been revalidated, hence C. mentovarius does not occur in Bolivia (Thomas & Judd 1984). Reports from Brazil represent Erythrolamprus miliaris amazonicus (COSTA & BERNILS 2015). See map in Johnson 1982. 
EtymologyThe epithet mentovarius is derived from the Latin words mentum, meaning "chin" and varius, meaning "different or changeable," in reference to the mottled color of the infralabial region (LEMOS-ESPINAL & DIXON 2013).

M. m. centralis was named after Latin centralis, central; centrally located; in middle, although Roze doesn’t explain what exactly is in the middle (although readers of his description may figure it out with enough time and patience).

M. m. suborbitalis was named after Latin sub, close to, about + Latin orbitalis, pertaining to the orbit. [“...Unter dem grofsen Anteorbitale befindet sich noch ein ganz kleines…“].

M. m. striolatus was named after Latin striolatus, provided with channels; grooves; wrinkles (although Mertens 1934 does not explain the name).

M. m. variolosus was named after Latin variolus, spot, pustule + Latin –osus, full of. [“...All dorsal scales with a dark spot at the posterior apex…”]. 
References
  • Aguilar-López JL, Luría-Manzano R, Pineda E, Canseco-Márquez L 2021. Selva Zoque, Mexico: an important Mesoamerican tropical region for reptile species diversity and conservation. ZooKeys 1054: 127-153 - get paper here
  • AHUMADA-CARRILLO, I. T., C. I. GRUNWALD, M. A. LOPEZ CUELLAR, AND J. M. JONES 2020. Some Records of Amphibians and Reptiles from the Wixarica Region in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Herpetological Review 51: 277-281.
  • Auth, D. et al. 1998. Geographic distribution: Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius. Herpetological Review 29 (1): 54 - get paper here
  • Auth, David L.;Chiszar, David;Smith, Hobart M.;Van Breukelen, Frank 1997. Geographic Distribution. Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius. Herpetological Review 28 (4): 210 - get paper here
  • Bello-Sánchez, E. A., O. I. M. Vaca-León and J. E. Morales-Mávil 2016. Coluber mentovarius (= Masticophis mentovarius) (Neotropical Whipsnake) diet. Herpetological Review 47(3): 476. - get paper here
  • Bernal, R. 2025. Serpientes de Colombia-Guía de Campo. Serie de Guías Tropicales de Campo. 19: 396 pp. Conservación Internacional Colombia, Bogotá - get paper here
  • BERNARDE, P.S., ALBUQUERQUE, S., BARROS, T.O. & TURCI, L.C.B. 2012. Snakes of Rondônia State, Brazil. Biota Neotropica 12 (3): - get paper here
  • BERNARDE, P.S., ALBUQUERQUE, S., BARROS, T.O. & TURCI, L.C.B. 2012. Serpentes do Estado de Rondônia, Brasil. Biota Neotropica 12 (3): 1-29 - 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
  • Cadena-Rico, S., Leyte-Manrique, A., & Hernández-Salinas, U. 2020. Herpetofauna de la cuenca baja del Río Temascatio, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México. Acta zoológica mexicana, 36
  • Campbell, J.A. 1998. Amphibians and reptiles of northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, xiii + 380 pp. - get paper here
  • Carbajal-Márquez, R.A.; Quintero-Díaz, G.E. 2023. Natural history notes: Masticophis mentovarius (Neotropical Whip Snake). Maximum elevation. Herpetological Review 54 (4): 688.
  • Carbajal-Márquez, Rubén A. and Gustavo E. Quintero-Díaz 2016. The Herpetofauna of Aguascalientes, México. Revista Mexicana de Herpetología 2(1):
  • Carvajal-Cogollo, J.E.; L.E. Rojas-Murcia. & G. Cárdenas-Arévalo 2020. Reptiles del Caribe colombiano/ Reptiles of the Colombian Caribbean. Tunja: Editorial UPTC, 268 pp. - get paper here
  • Casas-Andreu, G., F.R. Méndez-De la Cruz and X. Aguilar-Miguel. 2004. Anfibios y Reptiles; pp. 375–390, in A.J.M. García-Mendoza, J. Ordoñez and M. Briones-Salas (ed.). Biodiversidad de Oaxaca. Instituto de Biología, UNAM-Fondo Oaxaqueño para la Conservación de la Naturaleza-World Wildlife Fund, México, D. F.
  • Castillo-Cabrera, F. J., Roldán, R. A., Barrios, M., Burgos-Barrios, C. L., Grajeda, A. L., García, M. J., ... & Orellana, K. S. 2025. Contribution to the knowledge of urban biodiversity in Central America: A checklist to the species of Guatemala City. Neotropical Biology and Conservation, 20(1), 59-66 - get paper here
  • Castro-Franco, Rubén, María Guasalupe Bustos-Zagal 1994. List of reptiles of Morelos, Mexico, and their distribution in relation to vegetation types. Southwestern Naturalist 39 (2): 171-175 - get paper here
  • Cobarrubias, Edgar Flores; Daniel Cruz-Sáenz, and David Lazcano 2012. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Western Mexico 6: Amphibians and Reptiles of Hostotipaquillo, Jalisco, Mexico. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 47 (2):21-26 - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1867. Fifth contribution lo the herpetology of tropical America. Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 18 [1866]: 317-323 - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1879. Eleventh contribution to the herpetology of tropical America. Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 18: 261-277. - get paper here
  • Cortés-Vázquez, S., Núñez-Carrillo, L. C., Cruz-Sáenz, D., Carrasco-Ortiz, M. A., Rodríguez-López, A., Lazcano, D., ... & Wilson, L. D. 2022. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Western Mexico 29: Herpetofauna of Natural Protected Area “El Diente,” Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, 57(10), 177-185 - get paper here
  • Cruz-Elizalde R, Ramírez-Bautista A, Pineda-López R, Mata-Silva V, DeSantis DL, García-Padilla E, Johnson JD, Rocha A, Fucsko LA, Wilson LD. 2022. The herpetofauna of Querétaro, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 16(1) [General Section]: 148–192 (e308) - get paper here
  • Cruz-Sáenz, Daniel, Ángeles Penilla-Juarez and David Lazcano. 2013. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Western Mexico 10: Herpetofauna of the Protected Natural Area “Estero El Salado” and Adjacent Areas in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 48 (9):117-119 - get paper here
  • Cupul-Magaña, Fabio Germán, Frank Mc Cann and Armando H. Escobedo-Galván. 2016. Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854). Diet. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (2): 500-501 - get paper here
  • Curlis JD, Fisher EC, Muhic WK, Moy J, Garro-Cruz M, Montero-Ramírez JJ 2020. A survey of the reptiles and amphibians at the University of Georgia Costa Rica field station in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica. Check List 16(6): 1433-1456 - get paper here
  • Davis, William B.; Smith, Hobart M. 1953. Snakes of the Mexican state of Morelos. Herpetologica 8: 133-149 - get paper here
  • Dixon, James R. and Julio A. Lemos-Espinal 2010. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Queretaro, Mexico. Tlalnepantla UNAM, 428 pp.
  • Duméril, A.M.C., G. BIBRON & A.H.A. DUMÉRIL 1854. Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 7 (partie 1). Paris, xvi + 780 S. - get paper here
  • Dunn, E. 1933. Notes on Coluber oaxaca, and Masticophis mentovarius. Copeia, 1933(4), 214-214 - get paper here
  • Enderson, Erik F.; Thomas R. Van Devender, Robert L. Bezy 2014. Amphibians and reptiles of Yécora, Sonora and the Madrean Tropical Zone of the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwestern Mexico. Check List 10 (4): 913-926 - get paper here
  • Espinal, Mario; José M. Solís, Carlos M. O’Reilly, Leonel Marineros, and Hermes Vega 2014. New distributional records for amphibians and reptiles from the department of Santa Bárbara, Honduras. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1 (2): 300 - get paper here
  • Esqueda,L.F. & La Marca,E. 1999. New Reptilian species records from the Cordillera de Mérida, Andes of Venezuela. Herpetological Review 30 (4): 238-240 - get paper here
  • Gaige,H. 1936. Some reptiles and amphibians from Yucatan and Campeche, Mexico. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Publ., (457): 289-304.
  • Gallo-Gutiérrez S, Santamaría Martinez JA, López LI, Mora JM 2021. The presence of Dry Forest Racer, Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) (Squamata, Colubridae), in the Cloud Forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica. Check List 17(4): 1187-1193 - get paper here
  • García, A. & Ceballos, G. 1994. GUIA DE CAMPO DE LOS REPTILES Y ANFIBIOS DE LA COSTA DE JALISCO, MEXICO. FUNDACION ECOLOGICA DE CUIXMALA, A.C. INSTITUTO DE BIOLOGIA, UNAM - get paper here
  • Goldberg, S.R. 2005. Notes on the Testicular Cycle of the Neotropical Whipsnake, Masticophis mentovarius (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Sonora, Mexico Bull. Maryland Herpetol. Soc., 41(1): 33-35. - get paper here
  • González-Sánchez, V. H., J. D. Johnson, E. García-Padilla, V. Mata-Silva, D. L. DeSantis and L. D. Wilson. 2017. The Herpetofauna of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4 (2): 264–380 - get paper here
  • Gorzula, Stefan & Senaris, J. Celsa 1999. In: Contribution to the herpetofauna of the Venezuelan Guayana. I: a data base. Scientia Guaianae, Caracas, No. 8 [1998], 269+ pp.; ISBN 980-6020-48-0
  • Griffin, R.K., Lewis, T.R., Tzanopoulos, J. et al. 2025. Natural history traits influence winners and losers for herpetological communities in disturbed tropical habitats. Oecologia 207, 52 (2025) - get paper here
  • Guerra Centeno, Dennis; Héctor Fuentes Rousselin & David Morán Villatoro 2012. Serpientes de Guatemala: Guía para didentificación de especies. Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, 186 pp.
  • Hardy, L.M., & McDiarmid, R.W. 1969. The amphibians and reptiles of Sinaloa, Mexico. Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist. 18 (3): 39-252. - get paper here
  • Heimes, P. 2016. Snakes of Mexico. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 572 pp
  • Hellmich, Walter 1953. Contribuciones al conocimiento de los ofidios de Venezuela 2. Sobre la subespecie venezolana de Coluber (Masticophis) mentovarius (D. et B.). Acta Biologica Venezuelica 1 (8): 146-153
  • Johnson, J. D. 1977. The taxonomy and distribution of the neotropical whipsnake Masticophis mentovarius (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae). Journal of Herpetology 11 (3): 287-309. - get paper here
  • Johnson, J. D. 1982. Masticophis mentovarius. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles ( 295: 1-4. - get paper here
  • Johnson, Jerry D.; Vicente Mata-Silva, Elí García Padilla, and Larry David Wilson 2015. The Herpetofauna of Chiapas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (3): 272–329. - get paper here
  • Knight, James L., Patty Ruback, Jon Wedow and Julie M. Ray. 2016. Distribution Notes. Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854) (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae): an update of records from Panama. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (1): 185–188 - get paper here
  • Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd Ed. Herpeton-Verlag, 400 pp.
  • Lancini V., Abdem Ramon 1965. Notas sébre as diferenéas existentes entre as sub-espécies Venezuelanas de Coluber (Masticophis) mentovarius (Dum. Bibr. et. Dum. 1854). Memórias do Instituto Butantan 32: 9-14 - get paper here
  • Lancini,A.R. & Kornacker,P.M. 1989. Die Schlangen von Venezuela. Armitano Editores C.A., Caracas, 1-381
  • Larreal, J.T.; G.A. Rivas; C. Portillo-Quintero; T.R. Barros 2012. Squamata reptiles of a fragment of tropical dry forest in northwestern Venezuela (Lake Maracaibo region). Check List 8(6):1220-1224 - get paper here
  • Lee, J. C. 2000. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Maya world. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
  • Lee, J.C. 1996. The amphibians and reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula. Comstock, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 500 pp.
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Sinaloa, Mexico with a conservation status summary and comparisons with neighboring states. ZooKeys 931: 85-114 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A conservation checklist of the herpetofauna of Morelos, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 941: 121-144 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR 2020. A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of the State of Mexico, Mexico with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 953: 137-159 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Gadsden-Esparza H, Valdez-Lares R, Woolrich-Piña GA 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Durango, Mexico, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 748: 65-87 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Pierce LJS, Painter CW 2020. The amphibians and reptiles of Colima, Mexico, with a summary of their conservation status. ZooKeys 927: 99-125 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Rorabaugh JC 2019. A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Sonora, Mexico, with updated species lists. ZooKeys 829: 131-160 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Woolrich-Piña GA 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 753: 83-106 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal, Julio A. and James R. Dixon 2013. Amphibians and Reptiles of San Luis Potosí. Eagle Mountain Publishing, xii + 300 pp. - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal, Julio A., Geoffrey R. Smith 2015. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. Check List 11 (3): 1642 - get paper here
  • Lewis, Thomas H. and Murray L. Johnson 1956. Notes on a Herpetological Collection from Sinaloa. Herpetologica 12 (4): 277-280 - get paper here
  • Leyte-Manrique A, Mata-Silva V, Báez-Montes O, Fucsko LA, DeSantis DL, García-Padilla E, Rocha A, Johnson JD, Porras LW, Wilson LD. 2022. The herpetofauna of Guanajuato, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 16(2) [General Section: 133–180 (e321) - get paper here
  • Leyte-Manrique, Adrian; Abel Antonio Buelna-Chontal,<br />Miguel Alejandro Torres-Dıaz, Christian Berriozabal-Islas, and Carlos Alberto Maciel-Mata 2019. A Comparison of Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Between Disturbed and Undisturbed Environments of Salvatierra, Guanajuato, Mexico. Tropical Conservation Science 12: 1–12 - get paper here
  • Leyte-Manrique, Adrian; Christian Berriozabal-Islas, Vicente Mata-Silva, and Juan Pablo Morales-Castorena 2018. Herpetofaunal diversity in Área Natural Protegida Las Musas, Guanajuato, Mexico. Mesoamerican Herpetology 5 (1): 122–136 - get paper here
  • Leyte-Manrique, Adrian; Efrén M. Hernández Navarro y Luis A. Escobedo-Morales 2015. Herpetofauna de Guanajuato: Un análisis histórico y contemporáneo de su conocimiento. Revista Mexicana de Herpetología 1(1): 1–14
  • Loc-barragán J.A., D., Lazcano y G.A Woolrich-Piña. 2018. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Nayarit, Mexico 2: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Municipality of Compostela. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 53(10): 205-212
  • Loc-Barragán JA, Smith GR, Woolrich-Piña GA, Lemos-Espinal JA 2024. An updated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nayarit, Mexico with conservation status and comparison with adjoining States. Herpetozoa 37: 25-42 - get paper here
  • Loc-Barragán, J. A. 2024. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Nayarit, Mexico 6: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Municipality of Bahía de Banderas. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, 59(5), 65-74
  • Loc-Barragán, Jesús Alberto and David Lazcano 2018. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Nayarit, Mexico 1: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Municipality of Tecuala. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 53(4):73-80
  • Loc-Barragán, Jesús A.; Zarah I. Sosa-Hernández, Christoph I. Grünwald, Emmanuel Miramontes-Medina, Jorge A. Bañuelos-Alamillo, Guillermo A. Woolrich-Piña and David Lazcano 2019. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Nayarit, Mexico 3: Amphibians and Reptiles of the Municipality of Huajicori. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 54(10): 205-213 - get paper here
  • Luja VH, López JA, Cruz-Elizalde R, Ramírez-Bautista A 2017. Herpetofauna inside and outside from a natural protected area: the case of Reserva Estatal de la Biósfera Sierra San Juan, Nayarit, Mexico. Nature Conservation 21: 15-38 - get paper here
  • Martínez-Fonseca, José Gabriel and Javier Sunyer 2015. Masticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854). Diet. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (4): 525 - get paper here
  • Mata-Silva, V; Rocha, A; Mata-González, S; Ramírez-Bautista, A; Berriozabal-Islas, C; García-Padilla, E; Johnson, J D & Wilson, L D; 2019. First municipality records and additional information on the herpetofauna of Oaxaco, Mexico. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 533-536 - get paper here
  • Mata-Silva, Vicente, Jerry D. Johnson, Larry David Wilson and Elí García-Padilla. 2015. The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: composition, physiographic distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (1): 6–62 - get paper here
  • McCoy, Clarence J. 1966. Additions to the herpetofauna of southern El Petén, Guatemala. Herpetologica 22 (4): 306-308 - get paper here
  • McCranie J R 2011. The snakes of Honduras. SSAR, Salt Lake City, 725 pp.
  • McCranie, J.R. & Wilson, L.D. 2001. The herpetofauna of the Mexican State of Aguascalientes. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 230: 1-57
  • McCranie, James R. 2015. A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with additions, comments on taxonomy, some recent taxonomic decisions, and areas of further studies needed. Zootaxa 3931 (3): 352–386 - get paper here
  • Mehrtens, J.M. 1987. Living snakes of the world in color. Sterling Publ. Co., hic., New York, NY: 480 pp.
  • Mertens, R. 1934. Die Inseln-Reptilien, ihre Ausbreitung Variation und Artbildung. Zoologica (Stuttgart) 32: 1-209.
  • Mertens, R. 1952. Die Amphibien und Reptilien von El Salvador. Abh. senckenb. naturf. Ges. (Frankfurt) (No. 487): 120 pp.
  • Myers, Edward A.; Jamie L. Burgoon, Julie M. Ray, Juan E. Martínez-Gómez, Noemí Matías- Ferrer, Daniel G. Mulcahy, and Frank T. Burbrink 2017. Coalescent Species Tree Inference of Coluber and Masticophis. Copeia 105 (4): 642-650 - get paper here
  • Natera-Mumaw, Marco; Luis Felipe Esqueda-González & Manuel Castelaín-Fernández 2015. Atlas Serpientes de Venezuela. Santiago de Chile, Dimacofi Negocios Avanzados S.A., 456 pp. - get paper here
  • Neill, Wilfred T. and E. Ross Allen. 1959. Studies on the amphibians and reptiles of British Honduras. Publications of the Research Division Ross Allen's Reptiles Institute. 2 (1): 1-76
  • O'Connell, K. A., Streicher, J. W., Smith, E. N. and Fujita, M. K. 2017. Geographical features are the predominant driver of molecular diversification in widely distributed North American Whipsnakes. Mol Ecol. 26: 5729–5751 - get paper here
  • Ortenburger, A.I. 1923. A note on the genera Coluber and Masticophis and a description of a new species of Masticophis. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan, No. 139: 1-14 - get paper here
  • Palacios-Aguilar, Ricardo & OSCAR FLORES-VILLELA 2018. An updated checklist of the herpetofauna from Guerrero, Mexico. Zootaxa 4422 (1): 1-24 - get paper here
  • Percino-Daniel, Ruth; Erika Cruz-Ocaña, Wilber Pozo-Ventura y Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez 2013. Diversidad de reptiles en dos microcuencas del río Grijalva, Chiapas, México. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 84: 938-948 - get paper here
  • Pérez-Santos,C. & Moreno, A.G. 1988. Ofidios de Colombia. Museo reegionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, Monographie VI, 517 pp.
  • Peters, Wilhem Carl Hartwig 1869. Über neue Säugethiere (Colobus, Rhinolophus, Vesperus) und neue oder weniger bekannte Amphibien (Hemidactylus, Herpetodryas, Spilotes, Elaphis, Lamprophis, Erythrolamprus). Monatsber. königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin. 1868 (December): 637-642 - get paper here
  • Ray, Julie M. and Patty Ruback 2015. Updated checklists of snakes for the provinces of Panamá and Panamá Oeste, Republic of Panama. Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (2): 168-188 - get paper here
  • Rivas Fuenmayor, G.; Ugueto, G.; Rivero, R. & Miralles, A. 2005. The Herpetofauna of Isla de Margarita, Venezuela: New Records and Comments. Carib. J. Sci. 41 (2): 346-351
  • Rivas Fuenmayor, Gilson and Cesar Luis Barrio Amorós 2005. New Amphibian and Reptile records from Cojedes State, Venezuela. Herpetological Review 36 (2):205-209. - get paper here
  • RIVAS, GILSON A.; CÉSAR R. MOLINA, GABRIEL N. UGUETO, TITO R. BARROS, CÉSAR L. BAR- RIO-AMORÓS & PHILIPPE J. R. KOK 2012. Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist. Zootaxa 3211: 1–64 - get paper here
  • Rorabaugh, J C; Turner, D; van Devender, T R; Hugo-Cabrera, V; Maynard, R J; Van Devender, R W; Villa, R A; Hamilton, P; Hale, S F; Aguilar-Morales, C; Blanco-Gutiérrez, A; Wallace, E & Hedgcock, C; 2019. Herpetofauna of the Mesa Tres Ríos area in the Northern Sierra Madre Occidental of Sonora, Mexico. Herpetological Review 50 (2): 251-259 - get paper here
  • Rorabaugh, J.C., S. Avila, C.R. Elías, and G. Ferguson. 2009. An addition to the 100-Mile Circle: Neotropical Whipsnake (Coluber mentovarius). Herpetofauna of the 100 Mile Circle. Sonoran Herpetologist 22 (1):2-5. - get paper here
  • Rosas-Espinoza, V.C.; Rodríguez-Zaragoza, F.A.; Álvarez-Grzybowska, E.; Peña-Joya, K.E.; Santiago-Pérez, A.L.; Godoy-González, A.A.; Huerta-Martínez, F.M. 2024. Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Reptiles in a Heterogeneous Landscape of Jalisco State, West-Central Mexico. Diversity 2024, 16, 394 - get paper here
  • Roze, J. A. 1953. The Rassenkreis Coluber (Masticophis) mentovarius (Dumeril, Bibron et Dumeril), 1854. Herpetologica 9 (3): 113-120 - get paper here
  • Rubio-Morales, Beatriz, Sandra Fabiola Arias-Balderas, Alfonso Hérnandez-Ríos, Felipe Correa-Sánchez and Eduardo Cid-Méndez. 2013. Herpetoculture notes: Masticophis mentovarius (neotropical whipsnake) reproduction. Herpetological Review 44 (3): 453-454 - get paper here
  • Salcido-Rodríguez, Israel; Francisco Isaac Hernández-Valadez , Adriana Elizabeth Castillo-Franco , Daniel Cruz-Sáenz , Edgar Emmanuel Hernández-Juárez , David Lazcano , Lydia Allison Fucsko and Larry David Wilson 2023. Notes on the Herpetofauna of Western Mexico 31: Herpetofauna from Sierra de Tesistán, Zapopan,. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 58(10):165-171 - get paper here
  • Sasa, M., Arias, E., & Chaves, G. 2025. Annotated list of amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica: The role of the Museum of Zoology in cataloging the country’s herpetological diversity. Revista de Biología Tropical, 73(S2): e64536-e64536 - get paper here
  • Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. University of Chicago Press, 934 pp. [review in Copeia 2003 (1): 205]
  • Schmidt, Karl P.;Shannon, Frederick A. 1947. Notes on amphibians and reptiles of Michoacan, Mexico. Zoological Series of Field Museum of Natural History 31 (9): 63-85
  • Silva-Ayala, E., Díaz-García, J. M., Hernández-Jiménez, C. A., & Romero-Uribe, H. M. 2025. Seasonal variation of amphibian and reptile communities in a deciduous tropical forest in central Mexico. Acta zoológica mexicana, 41 - get paper here
  • Smith, Hobart M. 1942. Notes on Masticophis mentovarius. Copeia 1942 (2): 85-88 - get paper here
  • Smith, Hobart M. 1943. Summary of the collections of snakes and crocodilians made in Mexico under the Walter Rathbone Bacon Traveling Scholarship. Proceeding of the U. S. National Museum, 93 (3169): 393-504 - get paper here
  • Solís, J. M., L. D. Wilson, and J. H. Townsend. 2014. An updated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with comments on their nomenclature. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1: 123–144 - get paper here
  • Solorzano, A. 2004. Serpientes de Costa Rica - Snakes of Costa Rica. Editorial INBio, Costa Rica, 792 pp.
  • Stuart, L. C. 1935. A contribution to a knowledge of the herpetology of a portion of the savanna region of Central Peten, Guatemala. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Miscellaneous Publications 29: 1-56 - get paper here
  • Sunyer, Javier 2014. An updated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nicaragua. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1 (2): 186–202. - get paper here
  • Sunyer, Javier & José́ Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca 2023. An updated country checklist to the amphibians and reptiles of Nicaragua. REVISTA NICARAGÜENSE DE BIODIVERSIDAD (100): 1-25 - get paper here
  • Taylor, Edward H. 1936. Notes on the Herpetological fauna of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 24 (20): 505-537 - get paper here
  • Tepos-Ramírez M, Garduño-Fonseca FS, Peralta-Robles CA, García-Rubio OR, Cervantes Jiménez R 2023. Annotated checklist of amphibians and reptiles from Querétaro, Mexico, including new records, and comments on controversial species. Check List 19(2): 269-292 - get paper here
  • Terán-Juárez, Sergio A., Elí García Padilla, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson and Larry David Wilson. 2016. The herpetofauna of Tamaulipas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (1): 43–113 - get paper here
  • Thomas, R.A. & JOHNSON, J.D. 1984. Philodryas varius (Jan, 1863), a senior synonym of Philodryas borellii Peracca (Serpentes: Colubridae). Journal of Herpetology 18 (1): 80 - get paper here
  • Torres-Hernández, LA, Ramírez-Bautista A, Cruz-Elizalde R, Hernández-Salinas U, Berriozabal-Islas C, DeSantis DL, Johnson JD, Rocha A, García-Padilla E, Mata-Silva V, Fucsko LA, and Wilson LD. 2021. The herpetofauna of Veracruz, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 15(2) [General Section]: 72–155 - get paper here
  • Trujillo–Caballero, S. & J. A. González–Oreja 2018. Efficient vs. structured biodiversity inventories: reptiles in a Mexican dry scrubland as a case study. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 41.2 (2018) 245 - get paper here
  • Turner, D. S., Van Devender, T. R., Hale, S. F., Zach, R., Martínez, R., Van Devender, R. W., ... & Paholski, C. 2022. Amphibians and reptiles of Rancho Las Playitas area, Sonora, Mexico. Sonoran Herpetologist, 35, 50-59 - get paper here
  • Ugueto, G.N. & Rivas, G.A. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of Margarita, Coche and Cubagua. Frankfurt Contributions to Natural History, Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, 350 pp
  • Utiger, U.; Schatti, B. & Helfenberger, N. 2005. The oriental colubrine genus Coelognathus FITZINGER, 1843 and classification of old and new world racers and ratsnakes (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae, Colubrinae). Russ. J. Herpetol. 12 (1): 39-60 - get paper here
  • Vázquez Díaz, Joel;Quintero Díaz, Gustavo E. 2005. Anfibios y Reptiles de Aguascalientes [2nd ed.]. CONABIO, CIEMA, 318 pp.
  • Villa, Jamie D. 1993. Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius (sabanera). Nicaragua: Zelaya. Herpetological Review 24 (3): 110 - get paper here
  • VILLALOBOS JUÁREZ, IVAN & ELÍ GARCÍA-PADILLA. 2023. CONFIRMACIÓN DE LA PRESENCIA DE LA CHIRRIONERA NEOTROPICAL Masticophis mentovarius PARA EL ESTADO DE HIDALGO Y MÁXIMA ELEVACIÓN PARA LA ESPECIE. Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología 6(2): e669 (154-156). - 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.
  • Webb, R.G. 1984. Herpetogeography in the Mazatlán-Durango Region of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. Vetrebrate Ecology and Systematics - A ribute to Henry S. Fitch; Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, pp. 217-241
  • Wilson,L.D. 1973. Masticophis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles ( 144: 1-2. - get paper here
  • Woolrich-Piña, G. A., E. García-Padilla, D. L. DeSantis, J. D. Johnson, V. Mata-Silva, and L. D. Wilson 2017. The herpetofauna of Puebla, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4 (4): 791–884 - get paper here
  • Woolrich-Piña, Guillermo A, Paulino Ponce-Campos, Jesús Loc-Barragán, Juan Pablo Ramírez-Silva, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson, Elí García-Padilla and Larry David Wilson. 2016. The herpetofauna of Nayarit, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (2): 376-448 - get paper here
  • Zweifel,R.G. and Norris,K.S. 1955. Contributions to the herpetology of Sonora, Mexico:Descriptions of new subspecies of snakes (Micruroides euryxanthus and Lampropeltis getulus) and miscellaneous collecting notes. American Midland Naturalist 54: 230-249 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator