Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

SQUAMATA (PART) — Snakes
The taxonomy used by the KHA reflects our understanding of evolutionary history. It is well-established that the traditional group "lizards" is not natural. And that snakes are a derived group of lizards that share a more recent common ancestor with some groups of lizards than they do with others. To reconcile this well-supported hypothesis, the KHA has opted to list all snakes and "other lizards" under Squamata. While this arrangement doesn't appear in most popular books, the continued traditional recognition of snakes with an equal but separate catchall "lizards" is untenable.

ESTABLISHED TAXA

Harmless Egg-laying Snakes — COLUBRIDAE

Common Glossy Snake Arizona elegans Kennicott (in Baird), 1859: 18 — SINC

North American Racer Coluber constrictor Linnaeus 1758

Prairie Kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster (Harlan 1827)

Western Milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis (Baird and Girard 1853)

Speckled Kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki (Stejneger 1903)

Eastern Milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum (Lacepede, 1789)

Common Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum (Shaw 1802)

Northern Rough Greensnake Opheodrys aestivus (Linnaeus 1766)

Smooth Greensnake Opheodrys vernalis (Harlan, 1827)

Great Plains Ratsnake Pantherophis emoryi (Baird & Girard 1853)

Western Ratsnake Pantherophis obsoletus (Say in James, 1822: 140)

Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer (Blainville 1835)

Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei Baird & Girard 1853 — SINC

Great Plains Groundsnake Sonora episcopa (Kennicott, in Baird 1859)

Flat-headed Snake Tantilla gracilis Baird & Girard 1853

Plains Black-headed Snake Tantilla nigriceps Kennicott 1860

Pit Vipers — CROTALIDAE

Eastern Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766)

Broad-banded Copperhead Agkistrodon laticinctus (Gloyd & Conant 1934)

Northern Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus (Lacepede 1789)

Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox Baird & Girard 1853 — Introduced

Timber Rattlesnake Crotalus horridus Linnaeus, 1758 — SINC

Prairie Rattlesnake Crotalus viridis (Rafinesque 1818)

Western Massasauga Sistrurus tergeminus (Say in James, 1822: 499)

Harmless Rear-Fanged Snakes — DIPSADIDAE

Western Wormsnake Carphophis vermis (Kennicott [in Baird], 1859)

Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus 1766)

Western Hog-nosed Snake Heterodon nasicus Baird and Girard 1852 — SINC

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Heterodon platirhinos Latreille (in Sonnini and Latreille) 1801 — SINC

Chihuahuan Nightsnake Hypsiglena jani (Dugès 1865) — SINC

Threadsnakes — LEPTOTYPHLOPIDAE

Texas Threadsnake Rena dulcis (Cope 1896) — Threatened

Harmless Egg-Retaining Snakes — NATRICIDAE

Plain-bellied Watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster (Forster 1771)

Diamond-backed Watersnake Nerodia rhombifer (Hallowell 1852)

Common Watersnake Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus 1758)

Graham's Crawfish Snake Regina grahamii Baird & Girard 1853

Dekay's Brownsnake Storeria dekayi (Holbrook 1836)

Red-bellied Snake Storeria occipitomaculata (Storer 1839) — SINC

Checkered Gartersnake Thamnophis marcianus (Baird & Girard 1853) — Threatened

Western Ribbonsnake Thamnophis proximus (Say in James, 1822: 187)

Plains Gartersnake Thamnophis radix (Baird & Girard 1853)

Common Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus 1758)

Lined Snake Tropidoclonion lineatum (Hallowell 1856)

Rough Earthsnake Virginia striatula (Linnaeus 1766) — SINC

Smooth Earthsnake Virginia valeriae Baird & Girard 1853 — SINC

NOT YET ESTABLISHED TAXA OF INTEREST

BOIDAE — Boas

South American Boa Constrictor Boa constrictor Linnaeus 1758 — Accidental

COLUBRIDAE — Harmless Egg-laying Snakes

Western Foxsnake Pantherophis ramspotti (Crother, White, Savage, Eckstut, Graham, and Gardner 2011) — Possible

Eastern Pine Snake Pituophis melanoleucus

CROTALIDAE — Pit Vipers

Mohave Rattlesnake Crotalus scutulatus (Kennicott 1861) — Accidental

Pygmy Rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius (Linnaeus 1766) — Possible

NATRICIDAE — Harmless Egg-Retaining Snakes

Mississippi Green Watersnake Nerodia cyclopion (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril 1854)

Black-necked Gartersnake Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott 1860) — Questionable

Terrestrial Gartersnake Thamnophis elegans (Baird & Girard 1853) — Possible

Eastern Ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita

EXTINCT TAXA (in prep)

BOIDAE — Boas

Kansas Dwarf Boa †Tregophis brevirachis Holman, 1975

COLUBRIDAE — Harmless Egg-laying Snakes

Similar Milksnake †Lampropeltis similis Holman 1964

Kansas Foxsnake †Pantherophis kansensis (Gilmore 1938)

Wilson's Snake †Texasophis wilsoni Holman 1984

DIPSADIDAE — Harmless Rear-Fanged Snakes

Paleo Plains Hog-nosed Snake †Paleoheterodon tiheni Holman 1964

MOSASAURIDAE —

Mosasauridae 3 †Clidastes affinis

Mosasauridae 8 †Clidastes liodontus

Mosasauridae 12 †Clidastes propython

Mosasauridae 15 †Clidastes stenops

Mosasauridae 18 †Clidastes tortor

Mosasauridae 2 †Clidastes velox

Mosasauridae 20 †Clidastes wymani

Mosasauridae 4 †Lestosaurus coryphaeus

Mosasauridae 13 †Macrosaurus proriger

Mosasauridae 5 †Platecarpus coryphaeus

Mosasauridae 1 †Platecarpus gracilis

Mosasauridae 7 †Platecarpus ictericus

Mosasauridae 10 †Platecarpus planifrons

Mosasauridae 17 †Platecarpus tectulus

Mosasauridae 19 †Platecarpus tympaniticus

Mosasauridae 11 †Plesioplatecarpus planifrons

Mosasauridae 6 †Tylosaurus dyspelor

Mosasauridae 25 †Tylosaurus kansasensis

Mosasauridae 9 †Tylosaurus nepaeolicus

Mosasauridae 14 †Tylosaurus proriger

NATRICIDAE — Harmless Egg-Retaining Snakes

Hillman's Watersnake †Nerodia hillmani (Wilson 1968)