''Masticophis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

colubrid 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 ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. (paperback). (Genus ''Masticophis'', pp. 177-178). They are characterized by having a long, thin body and are not dangerous to humans.

Geographic range

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''Masticophis'' are found in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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 ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Description

Adults of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the genus ''Masticophis'' may attain a total length (including tail) from 152 cm (5 ft) for ''M. lateralis'' to 259 cm (8.5 ft) for ''M. flagellum''. A distinctive character of this genus is the shape of the

frontal scale Frontal scale refers to the scales of a reptile which lie in the general region of the forehead of a snake, more specifically between the eyes and to the anterior of this area. These are analogous to the ''frontal bone'' on a human which correspo ...

(the large scale in the center of the upper surface of the head) which is bell-shaped and elongated. At the rear of the body, the

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

are arranged in only 13 rows.

Species and subspecies

The genus ''Masticophis'' contains eleven species that are recognized as being valid, five of which have recognized

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Masticophis anthonyi ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Clarion Island whip snake *''

Masticophis aurigulus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Baja California striped whip snake *''

Masticophis barbouri ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Baja California striped whip snake, Espiritu Santo striped whip snake *''

Masticophis bilineatus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Sonoran whip snake *''

Masticophis flagellum ''Masticophis flagellum'' is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake, commonly referred to as the coachwhip or the whip snake, which is endemic to the United States and Mexico. Six subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies ...

'' – coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum cingulum ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Sonoran coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum flagellum ''Masticophis flagellum flagellum'', commonly known as the Eastern coachwhip, is a subspecies of '' M. flagellum'', a nonvenomous, colubrid snake, endemic to the southern United States. Distribution The subspecies ranges from North Carolina ...

'' – eastern coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum lineatulus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – lined coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum piceus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – red coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum ruddocki ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – San Joaquin coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum testaceus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – western coachwhip *'' Masticophis fuliginosus'' – Baja California coachwhip *'' Masticophis lateralis'' – California whipsnake **'' Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus'' – Alameda striped racer **'' Masticophis lateralis lateralis'' – California striped racer Masticophis schotti

*'' Masticophis mentovarius'' – neotropical whip snake **'' Masticophis mentovarius centralis'' **'' Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius'' **'' Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis'' **'' Masticophis mentovarius striolatus'' **'' Masticophis mentovarius variolosus'' *''

Masticophis schotti ''Masticophis schotti'', commonly known as Schott's whip snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. Geographic range The species is found in United States in Texas and in western Mexico. It lives up to an altitude of 2300 meters. ...

'' – Schott's whip snake **'' Masticophis schotti ruthveni'' – Ruthven's whip snake **'' Masticophis schotti schotti'' – Schott's whip snake *'' Masticophis slevini'' – Isla San Esteban whipsnake, San Esteban Island whipsnake *'' Masticophis taeniatus'' – striped whip snake **'' Masticophis taeniatus girardi'' – Central Texas whip snake **'' Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus'' – desert striped whip snake ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Masticophis''.

References

External links

https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/masticophis-mentovarius/
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2578729 Colubrids Snake genera Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard

Geographic range

Description

Species and subspecies

References

Further reading

External links