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Trimorphodon lyrophanes (COPE, 1860)

IUCN Red List - Trimorphodon lyrophanes - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Baja California Lyre Snake
G: Baja California-Lyraschlange
S: Ilamacoa de California 
SynonymLycodon lyrophanes COPE 1860: 343
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — COPE 1870: 152
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — MOCQUARD 1899: 330
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — COPE 1900: 1102
Trimorphodon vandenburghi KLAUBER 1924: 17
Lycognathus lyrophanes — COCHRAN 1961: 164
Trimorphodon vandenburghi — LOOMIS & STEPHENS 1967
Trimorphodon biscutatus vandenburghi — GEHLBACH 1971: 208
Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes — GEHLBACH 1971: 208
Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes — MURPHY & OTTLEY 1984
Trimorphodon biscutatus vandenburghi — SCOTT & MCDIARMID 1984
Trimorphodon vandenburghi — SHINE 1994
Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes — GRISMER et al. 1994
Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes — CROTHER 2000
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — DEVITT et al. 2008
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — WALLACH et al. 2014: 744
Trimorphodon lyrophanes — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025 
DistributionUSA (S California)
Mexico (Baja California Sur)

Type locality: “Cape St. Lucas, Lower California”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: USNM 4680, male and female; ANSP 10146 (unlocated fide Scott & McDiarmid 1984)
Holotype: CAS 58172, male [vandenburghi] 
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 859 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentHabitat: partly arboreal (Harrington et al. 2018). 
EtymologyNamed after the lyre-shaped markings on the nape.

T. vandenburghi was named in honor of John Van Denburgh, the eminent herpetologist of the California Academy of Sciences. 
References
  • CLAUSE, ADAM G. 2021. Geographic distribution: TRIMORPHODON LYROPHANES (California Lyresnake). USA: CALIFORNIA: San Bernardino Co. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 580–581. - get paper here
  • Cochran, Doris M. 1961. Type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the United States National Museum. [type catalogue] Bull. US Natl. Mus. (220): xvi + 291 pp. - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1861. Notes and descriptions of new and little-known species of American reptiles. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 12: 339-345 [1860] - get paper here
  • Cope, E.D. 1870. Seventh contribution to the herpetology of tropical America. Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 11: 147-169 [1869] - 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
  • Devitt, T.J. 2006. PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE WESTERN LYRE SNAKE (TRIMORPHODON BISCUTATUS): TESTING ARIDLAND BIOGEOGRAPHICAL HYPOTHESES ACROSS THE NEARCTIC–NEOTROPICAL TRANSITION. Molecular Ecology 15: 4387-4407 - get paper here
  • Devitt, Thomas J.; Travis J. LaDuc, and Jimmy A. McGuire 2008. The Trimorphodon biscutatus (Squamata: Colubridae) Species Complex Revisited: A Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Geographic Variation. Copeia 2008 (2): 370–387 - get paper here
  • Gehlbach, F. R. 1971. Lyre snakes in the Trimorphodon biscutatus complex: a taxonomic resume. Herpetologica 27: 200-211. - get paper here
  • Grismer, L. L.; McGuire, J. A.; Hollingsworth, B. D. 1994. A report on the herpetofauna of the Vizcaino Peninsula, Baja California, Mexico, with a discussion of its biogeographic and taxonomic implications. Bull. Southern California Acad. Sci. 93 (2): 45-80
  • Hansen, Robert and Jackson D. Shedd 2025. California Amphibians and Reptiles. Princeton University Press, 528 pp., ISBN<br />9780691249087 (ebook) - get paper here
  • Harrington, Sean M; Jordyn M de Haan, Lindsey Shapiro, Sara Ruane 2018. Habits and characteristics of arboreal snakes worldwide: arboreality constrains body size but does not affect lineage diversification. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 125 (1): 61–71 - get paper here
  • Heimes, P. 2016. Snakes of Mexico. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 572 pp
  • Klauber, L.M. 1924. Notes on the distribution of snakes in San Diego County, California. Bull. Zool. Soc. San Diego 1: 1-22 - get paper here
  • Loomis, Richard B.;Stephens, Robert C. 1967. Additional notes on snakes taken in or near Joshua Tree National Monument, California. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 66 (1): 1-22 - get paper here
  • Mocquard, F. 1899. Contribution a la faune herpétologique de la Basse-Californie. Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Natur.Paris, 4th Series, Vol. 1: 297-343 + plates XI-XIII - get paper here
  • Murphy, R. W.; Ottley, J. R. 1984. Distribution of amphibians and reptiles on islands in the Gulf of California. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 53 (8): 207-230 - get paper here
  • Peralta-García A, Valdez-Villavicencio JH, Fucsko LA, Hollingsworth BD, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, Rocha A, DeSantis DL, Porras LW, and Wilson LD. 2023. The herpetofauna of the Baja California Peninsula and its adjacent islands, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 17(1&2): 57–142
  • 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
  • Powers, A. 1974. The Systematic Status of Trimorphodon lyrophanes Cope on Cerralvo Island, Gulf of California, Mexico Bull. Maryland Herpetol. Soc., 10(2): 53-55. - get paper here
  • Scott, N. J., & MCDIARMID, R. W. 1984. Trimorphodon biscutatus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (353): 1-4. - get paper here
  • Shine, Richard 1994. Sexual size dimorphism in snakes revisited. Copeia 1994 (2): 326-346 - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh, John and Joseph R. Slevin 1913. A list of the amphibians and reptiles of Arizona, with notes on the species in the collection of the Academy. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 3 (13): 391-454 - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh,J. 1895. A review of the herpetology of Lower California. Part I - Reptiles. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (2) 5: 77-163 - get paper here
  • Vielma, S.; Melli, J.; Clause, A.G. 2024. Herpetoculture notes: Trimorphodon lyrophanes (California Lyresnake). Longevity. Herpetological Review 55 (1): 37.
  • 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.
 
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