The Brazos water snake (''Nerodia harteri''), also called commonly Harter's water snake, is a
species of mostly aquatic, non
venomous snake in the
family Colubridae
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...
. The species is
endemic to
Texas in the
United States.
Geographic range
''N. harteri'' is found only in
Central Texas
Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ph ...
in the
Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Dr ...
system.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred habitat of ''N. harteri'' is rocky areas along the Brazos River.[
]
Conservation status
Due to its limited range, ''N. harteri'' is considered to be a near-threatened species
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...
in Texas.
Etymology
The specific name or epithet, ''harteri'', is in honor of American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
amateur herpetologist Philip Harter, who collected the first specimen in Palo Pinto County
Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year.
Palo Pinto County comprises th ...
in 1936.[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Nerodia harteri'', p. 117).]
Description
The Brazos water snake grows to a total length (including tail) of 16 to 32 inches (41–81 cm), and ranges in color from brown to olive green. It has two rows of spots that go down either side of its back, and has a pink or orange underside with dark spots down either side.
References
Further reading
* Behler JL, King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Nerodia harteri'', p. 636 + Plate 549).
* Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Natrix harteri'', p. 149 + Plate 21 + Map 102).
* Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. . (''Nerodia harteri'', pp. 418–419 + Plate 41).
* Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (''Natrix harteri'', p. 225).
* Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. . (''Nerodia harteri'', pp. 156–157).
* Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). (''Natrix harteri'', pp. 493–497, Figure 145 + Map 42 on p. 512).
External links
*
Herps of Texas: ''Nerodia harteri''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2381194
Nerodia
Reptiles described in 1941
Reptiles of the United States