''Coniophanes'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ev ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, commonly referred to as black-striped snakes, but they also have many other common names. The genus consists of 17

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 ...

, and despite the common name, not all of them display striping.

Geographic range

Species of ''Coniophanes'' are found primarily 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 ...

and

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. ...

, but range as far north as southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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 territori ...

, and as far south as

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

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 sout ...

Description

Snakes of the genus ''Coniophanes'' grow to a total length (including tail) of and are typically brown in color, with black striping down the sides and center of the back, and a red or orange underside. Some of the species, such as ''C. alvarezi'', are solid brown.

Habitat and behavior

''Coniophanes'' snakes are secretive burrowers. They spend most of their time digging into loose soils, forest leaf litter, or under rotting

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

. They are nocturnal, emerging from their underground retreats in the late evening to feed on

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s, lizards, small

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s, and smaller

Reproduction

Species in the genus ''Coniophanes'' are oviparous, laying clutches of up to 10

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

in loose soil. The eggs hatch in around 40 days, depending on relative temperature and humidity. Hatchlings are about in length.

Species

The following 17

are recognized as being valid."''Coniophanes'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *'' C. alvarezi'' – Chiapan stripeless snake – Mexico *'' C. andresensis'' – Isla San Andrés snake – Isla San Andrés, Colombia *'' C. bipunctatus'' – two-spotted snake – Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras,

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, El Salvador, and Costa Rica **''C. b. bipunctatus'' **''C. b. biseriatus'' *'' C. dromiciformis'' – Peters' running snake – Ecuador and Peru *'' C. fissidens'' – yellowbelly snake – Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia **''C. f. convergens'' **''C. f. dispersus'' **''C. f. fissidens'' **''C. f. proterops'' **''C. f. punctigularis'' *'' C. imperialis'' – black-striped snake – United States (Texas), Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras **''C. i. imperialis'' **''C. i. clavatus'' **''C. i. copei'' *'' C. joanae'' – Panama *'' C. lateritius'' – stripeless snake – Mexico *'' C. longinquus'' – Peru *'' C. melanocephalus'' *'' C. meridanus'' – peninsula stripeless snake *'' C. michoacanensis'' *'' C. piceivittis'' – Cope's black-striped snake – Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica **''C. p. frangivirgatus'' **''C. p. piceivittis'' *'' C. quinquevittatus'' – five-striped snake – Mexico and Guatemala *'' C. schmidti'' – faded black-striped snake – Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. *'' C. taeniata'' – Mexico *'' C. taylori'' ''

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 ''Coniophanes''.

References

External links

Herps of Texas: ''Coniophanes imperialis''
* * Colubrids Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist) Snake genera {{Colubrids-stub