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Thamnophis couchii (KENNICOTT, 1859)

IUCN Red List - Thamnophis couchii - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Western Aquatic Garter Snake, Sierra Garter Snake
G: Westliche Strumpfbandnatter, Couchs Strumpfbandnatter 
SynonymEutaenia couchii KENNICOTT in BAIRD 1859: 10
Eutaenia elegans couchii — COPE 1900: 1042
Thamnophis ordinoides couchii — VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN 1921: 29
Thamnophis ordinoides couchii — STEJNEGER & BARBOUR 1933: 123
Thamnophis couchii — ROSSMAN 1979
Thamnophis couchii — FITCH 1984
Thamnophis couchii — STEBBINS 1985: 204
Thamnophis couchii — CROTHER 2000
Thamnophis couchii — WALLACH et al. 2014: 720
Thamnophis couchii — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025 
DistributionUSA (Oregon, California)

Type locality: Pitt River, California  
Reproductionovoviviparous. May be parthenogenetic. 
TypesHolotype: USNM 866, adult female (J.S. Newberry). 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2336 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDiet: see Heptinstall et al. 2024 
EtymologyNamed after Darius Nash Couch (1822-1897), a U.S. Army officer and a General during the Civil War. See Beolens et al. 2011: 60 for more details. 
References
  • Bellemin, Jeanne M.;Stewart, Glenn R. 1977. Diagnostic characters and color convergence of the garter snakes Thamnophis elegans terrestris and Thamnophis couchii atratus along the Central California coast. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 76 (2): 73-84
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Booth, Warren; Gordon W. Schuett 2015. The emerging phylogenetic pattern of parthenogenesis in snakes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 118 (2): 172–186, DOI: 10.1111/bij.12744
  • Boundy, Jeffrey 1990. Biogeography and variation in southern populations of the garter snake Thamnophis atratus, with a synopsis of the T. couchii complex. M.A. Thesis San Jose State University: ix, 105
  • Bourguignon, T. 2002. Strumpfbandnattern: Herkunft - Pflege - Arten. E. Ulmer Verlag, 125 pp.
  • 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
  • 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
  • Fitch H S 1984. Thamnophis couchii (Kennicott). Western aquatic garter snake. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles ( 351: 1-3 - get paper here
  • Germano, David J. and P.T. Smith 2010. MOLECULAR EVIDENCE FOR PARTHENOGENESIS IN THE SIERRA GARTER SNAKE, THAMNOPHIS COUCHII (COLUBRIDAE). Southwestern Naturalist 55(2):280–282 - get paper here
  • Grübner, Daniel 2014. Farbformen bei Strumpfbandnattern. Ein Blick in die Vergangenheit, das Heute und die Trends von Morgen. Draco 16 (57): 16-27 - get paper here
  • HALLAS, JOSHUA M.; THOMAS L. PARCHMAN & CHRIS R. FELDMAN. 2021. Phylogenomic analyses resolve relationships among garter snakes (Thamnophis: Natricinae: Colubridae) and elucidate biogeographic history and morphological evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 107374. [2022 in print] - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. & Chlebowy, J. 2001. Strumpfbandnattern. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 192 pp. - get paper here
  • Hanscom, R. J., Higham, T. E., Ryan, D., & Clark, R. W. 2023. Ambush hunting in snakes: behaviour, function, and diversity. In: D. Penning (ed.), Snakes: morphology, function, and ecology. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers - get paper here
  • Hansen, Robert and Jackson D. Shedd 2025. California Amphibians and Reptiles. Princeton University Press, 528 pp. - get paper here
  • Heptinstall, Tucker C.; Ramses A. Rosales-Garcia, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Erich P. Hofmann, Alan De Queiroz, Luis Canseco-Márquez & Christopher L. Parkinson 2024. Size Doesn't Matter: Body Size is Not Linked to Diet Specialization in Garter Snakes (Squamata: Natricidae: Thamnophis) Journal of Herpetology 58 (2): 122-134 - get paper here
  • Kennicott, R. 1859. Eutaenia couchii. In: Williamson & Abbot, Explorations for a railroad route, from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River. U. S. Pacif. Railroad Surv. 10, Pt.4, p. 10 - get paper here
  • Lind, A.J. & H.H. Welsh, Jr. 1990. Predation by Thamnophis couchii on Dicamptodon ensatus Journal of Herpetology 24 (1): 104-106. - get paper here
  • Pilliod, D., Jeffries, M., Arkle, R. and Olson, D. 2024. Climate Futures for Lizards and Snakes in Western North America May Result in New Species Management Issues. Ecol Evol, 14: e70379 - get paper here
  • Queiroz, Alan de; Robin Lawson and Julio A. Lemos-Espinal 2002. Phylogenetic Relationships of North American Garter Snakes (Thamnophis) Based on Four Mitochondrial Genes: How Much DNA Sequence Is Enough? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22: 315-329 - get paper here
  • REIMCHE, JESSICA S.; ROBERT E. DEL CARLO, EDMUND D. BRODIE JR, JOEL W. MCGLOTHLIN, KAREN SCHLAUCH, MICHAEL E. PFRENDER, EDMUND D. BRODIE III, NORMAND LEBLANC & CHRIS R. FELDMAN. 2022. The road not taken: Evolution of tetrodotoxin resistance in the Sierra garter snake (Thamnophis couchii) by a path less travelled. Molecular Ecology 31(14): 3827–3843. - get paper here
  • Rossman, D.A. 1979. Morphological evidence for taxonomic partitioning of the Thamnophis elegans complex (Serpentes: Colubridae). Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Louisiana State Univ. (55): 1-12 - get paper here
  • Rossman, D.A. & Stewart,G.R. 1987. Taxonomic reevaluation of Thamnophis couchii (Serpentes: Colubridae). Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Louisiana Sata Univ. (63): 1-25 - get paper here
  • Rossman, Douglas A.; Ford, Neil B. & Seigel, Richard A. 1996. The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, xx + 332 + pp.
  • Stebbins,R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Stejneger, L.H., and T. Barbour. 1933. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles, third edition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 185 pp. - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh,J. and Slevin,J.R. 1921. A list of the amphibians and reptiles of Nevada, with notes on the species in the collection of the academy. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (4) 11 (2): 27-38 - 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.
  • Westphal, Michael F. 2006. On the Evolution of Correlated Color Traits in Garter Snakes. PhD Dissertation, Oregon State University, 180 pp. - get paper here
  • Wiseman, Kevin D. 2014. Thamnophis couchii (Sierra gartersnake) predation. Herpetological Review 45 (3): 520 - get paper here
 
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