The blackbelly garter snake (''Thamnophis melanogaster'') is a species of snake of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Colubridae. It is found in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Authority

First described as ''Tropidonotus melanogaster'' by

Peters Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...

in 1864, this species is now recognized as ''Thamnophis melanogaster''.

Geographic range

It is found on the

Central Mexican Plateau The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano ( es, Altiplanicie Mexicana), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the United States b ...

at elevations between 1,158 and 2,545 m above sea level.

Description

The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

color of these snakes may be brown, olive green, gray, red, orange, or pink.

Ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

colors include the same as the dorsal, with the addition of yellow. Dorsal patterns may include stripes and there is typically a black stripe running down the center of the belly, which explains both the common and scientific names for this species. There is little or no difference in size between the sexes of Blackbelly garter snakes.

Habitat

This is a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

species that occurs in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

habitats. Although it lives on land, it has not been found more than 15 m from a body of water.

Reproduction

Blackbelly garter snakes are

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

Diet

These snakes feed exclusively under water and they are the only known ''Thamnophis'' to prey on soft-bodied crayfish. They have a highly variable diet that also includes fish, frogs, tadpoles, leeches, and earthworms. Good underwater vision and chemical cues help the snakes find and capture their prey.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are known: * gray blackbelly garter snake, ''T. m. canescens''

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, 1942 * Chihuahuan blackbelly garter snake, ''T. m. chihuahuaensis'' Tanner, 1959 * lined blackbelly garter snake, ''T. m. linearis''

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

, 1950 * Mexican blackbelly garter snake, ''T. m. melanogaster'' ( Wiegmann, 1830)

Etymology

The specific name ''melanogaster'' is composed of two Greek words, ''melanos'', which means black and ''gaster'', which means belly.

Bibliography

* * * Peters, W. 1864. Über einige neue Säugethiere (Mormops, Macrotus, Vesperus, Molossus, Capromys), Amphibien (Plathydactylus, Otocryptis, Euprepes, Ungalia, Dromicus, Tropidonotus, Xenodon, Hylodes), und Fische Sillago, Sebastes, Channa, Myctophum, Carassius, Barbus, Mber. k. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin

864 __NOTOC__ Year 864 ( DCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Louis II (the Younger) marches with a Frankish army ag ...

381–399. * Wiegmann, A. F. A. 1830. Preisverzeichnis der Säugethiere, Vögel, Amphibien, Fische und Krebse, welche von Hrn Deppe und Schiede in Mexico gesammelt worden. Berlin, 1.Sept. 1930.

References

External links

*
IUCN Range Map

iNaturalist Blackbelly Garter Snake page
Thamnophis Reptiles described in 1864 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Reptiles of Mexico {{Natricinae-stub