''Storeria occipitomaculata'', commonly known as the redbelly snake or the red-bellied snake, is a
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 appropriat ...
of snake
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
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
(Canada and the United States).
[
]
Description
''S. occipitomaculata'' is a small woodland species that ranges from 4–10 in (10-25 cm) long. Their colors range from an orange to gray, black, or brown. They can be distinguished from other species from their bright red or orange underbelly.
Habitat
''S. occipitomaculata'' prefers warmer habitats and in the more Northern limits of its range will inhabit abandoned ant mounds. These mounds absorb solar radiation and are insulated which allows for a longer active season. This species, with large eyes and a kinetic skull, are not able to burrow on their own effectively and abandoned ant mounds allow them access to a warm area to retreat to.
Reproduction
Redbelly snakes have been studied to reproduce annually and females have been found to be gravid during the spring and early summer. While body size varies throughout the redbelly snake's region, the average clutch size tends to remain the same with an average of 7-9 eggs per clutch.
Subspecies
Three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized as being valid:[
* Florida redbelly snake – ''Storeria occipitomaculata obscura'' ( Trapido, 1944)
*]Northern redbelly snake
The northern redbelly snake (''Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata'') is a nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae, a subspecies of ''Storeria occipitomaculata''. It is sometimes referred to as a fire snake. It is endemic, North America ...
– '' Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata'' ( Storer, 1839)
* Black Hills redbelly snake – ''Storeria occipitomaculata pahasapae'' ( H.M. Smith, 1963)
References
External links
Redbelly Snake
Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa
Red-bellied Snake
Illinois Natural History Survey
Storeria
Snakes of North America
Reptiles of Canada
Reptiles of the United States
Extant Pleistocene first appearances
Taxa named by David Humphreys Storer
Reptiles described in 1839
{{Colubrids-stub