The Mexican wandering garter snake (''Thamnophis errans'') 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

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 else ...

to Mexico.

Taxonomy

Classification

This snake was first described as species new to science in 1942. Subsequently, some authors have noted similarities between northern populations of the Mexican wandering garter snake and the southern subspecies of the

western terrestrial garter snake The western terrestrial garter snake (''Thamnophis elegans'') is a western North American species of colubrid snake. At least five subspecies are currently recognized. Description Most western terrestrial garter snakes have a yellow, light oran ...

(''Thamnophis elegans vagrans''), leading them to reclassify the former as another subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake under the name ''Thamnophis elegans errans''. However, a 280 km gap of uninhabitable low desert separates the ranges of the two populations. Additionally, even the closest populations of Mexican wandering and western terrestrial garter snakes are still morphologically separated by the number and arrangement of scales, as well as the color of the tongue. Presently, ''Thamnophis errans'' is considered a valid taxon.

Distribution and habitat

The Mexican wandering garter snake is endemic to

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 ...

, where it has been found in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco,

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

, and

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

. It has an extensive linear range in the pine-oak forests of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

. When conditions allow, this species is widely dispersed within its range. It can be found near streams or ponds, but may also be found around rock piles or logs some distance from permanent water.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q21313224 Reptiles described in 1942 Taxa named by Hobart Muir Smith Reptiles of Mexico Thamnophis