Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

An adult Western Ratsnake from Johnson County. © Jessica Lawrenz.
An adult Western Ratsnake from Shawnee County. © Emery Forrest.
An adult Western Ratsnake from Linn County, Kansas. © Suzanne L. Collins, CNAH.
An adult Western Ratsnake from Marshall County. © Lisa Wehrly.
An adult Western Ratsnake consuming a domestic chicken egg in Atchison County. Image © Mark McDaniel.
An adult Western Ratsnake from Cherokee County, Kansas. Image © Lisa Wehrly.
An adult Western Ratsnake from Chautauqua County, Kansas. Image © Dan Fogell.
Head of a juvenile Western Ratsnake from Butler County. Image © Jennifer Breitkreutz.
REPTILIA (Reptiles) SQUAMATA (PART) (Snakes) COLUBRIDAE (Harmless Egg-laying Snakes)

Western Ratsnake
Pantherophis obsoletus (Say in James, 1822: 140)
păn-thŭr-ō-fĭs — ŏb-sō-lē-tŭs

Conservation Status:
State: None
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S5 - Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: None
Diagnosis:
 HARMLESS. One of the largest snakes in Kansas, the Western Ratsnake is characterized by keeled scales, a divided anal scale, and a generally uniform dark brown or black color on the head, body, and tail. Some adult specimens exhibit an indistinct pattern of dark blotches, and those in south central Kansas may be distinctly blotched. Adults often have extensive red and white (sometimes yellow) colored skin between the scales. The belly is cream or yellow-white, with large indistinct darker areas and may have an overall yellowish to reddish cast. Young specimens are patterned and colored similarly to Great Plains Ratsnakes, but they lose this pattern as they grow older. The blotches on a young Western Ratsnake will be longer than they are wide and often have small projections toward the head and the tail from each corner (on a Great Plains Ratsnake, they will be wider than they are long).The edges of the blotches are not darker than their centers. Young Western Ratsnakes begin to darken appreciably (obfuscating their juvenile pattern) in their third year.
The degree of dorsal darkening varies from completely black individuals throughout most of the state to faintly blotched specimens in south-central Kansas (Miller, 1986, Irwin et al., 1992). Adult males have slightly longer tails and grow larger than females.
Adults normally grow 106.7-183.0 cm (42-72 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a male (KU 216168) from Jefferson County with a total length of 191.2 cm (75­1⁄8 inches) and a weight of 1,729 grams (3 pounds, 13 ounces), collected by Roger Christie on 9 July 1990. The maximum length throughout the range is 218.4 cm (85‌49⁄50 inches) (Boundy, 1995; Powell et al., 2016).
Distribution:
 Widely distributed in the more forested eastern half of the state, On the western edge of its range, it is found along riparian corridors. They are commonly found in abandoned buildings and barns and are often the most common large snake in suburban areas.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)
  • Occurrence Summary:  
  • 1,832
    Records 
  • 1,709
    Museum Vouchers 
  • 123
    Other Observations 
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
 County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
 Allen (31); Anderson (12); Atchison (12); Barber (40); Barton (1); Bourbon (39); Brown (9); Butler (57); Chase (9); Chautauqua (9); Cherokee (69); Clay (5); Cloud (6); Coffey (10); Comanche (2); Cowley (23); Crawford (51); Dickinson (20); Doniphan (18); Douglas (243); Elk (11); Ellsworth (11); Finney (1); Franklin (59); Geary (14); Greenwood (27); Harper (30); Harvey (25); Hodgeman (1); Jackson (3); Jefferson (32); Johnson (169); Kingman (15); Kiowa (1); Labette (36); Leavenworth (29); Lincoln (4); Linn (31); Lyon (13); Marion (7); Marshall (49); McPherson (9); Meade (18); Miami (29); Mitchell (1); Montgomery (22); Morris (5); Nemaha (4); Neosho (12); Osage (10); Ottawa (7); Pawnee (1); Pottawatomie (39); Pratt (11); Reno (17); Republic (2); Rice (2); Riley (61); Rooks (1); Russell (3); Saline (30); Sedgwick (140); Shawnee (63); Sherman (1); Stafford (1); Sumner (31); Unknown (19); Wabaunsee (7); Washington (8); Wilson (19); Woodson (7); Wyandotte (18);

Fossil History:
 Pleistocene fossil specimens are known from the Borchers (Hibbard, 1970), Deer Park (Hibbard, 1956), Fox Canyon (Hibbard, 1950), Jinglebob, Jones (Ranch), Rexroad (location 3) (Hibbard, 1970), and Wendell Fox Pasture (Hibbard and Bjork, 1971) local faunas of Meade County [currently extralimital], Saw Rock local fauna of Seward County [currently extralimital] (Hibbard,1964), Kentuck local fauna of McPherson County, and Dixon local fauna of Kingman County (Brattstrom, 1967; Holman, 1995).
Natural History:
 Gloyd (1928) and Fitch (1956, 1958, 1963) studied this snake in eastern Kansas. The Western Ratsnake generally inhabits forested areas, particularly the rocky hillsides of open woodlands. Along the western edge of its range, it frequents the wooded areas of streams and rivers. These snakes are active from late March to November at air temperatures of 60-88°F. Like many other snakes, this species is primarily active by day during spring and fall but becomes more nocturnal during the hot summer. Western Ratsnakes have home ranges of 10.1 to 12,1 hectares (25-30 acres); they prowl these regions, frequently climbing trees in search of food. Schmidt (1941) stated that Gloyd observed them 3 to 9.1 meters (10 to 30 feet ) above the ground among the branches of trees. Population density is approximately one snake per three acres.
During fall, the Western Ratsnake retreats to den sites on rocky, wooded hillsides which it may share with many other kinds of snakes. It spends the winter months in burrows on these hillsides avoiding cold temperatures. Miller (1977) reported an adult example of this snake active on 9 February in Sumner County; the day was warm and sunny. During an unseasonably mild spell, Capron (1986) observed Western Ratsnakes active in January and February near Oxford.
The Western Ratsnake usually mates in spring, but occasional unions may occur throughout the annual activity period. Gillingham (1979) reported a three-phase courtship behavior similar to that of the Great Plains Western Ratsnake (see preceding account), except that male Western Ratsnakes may bite females prior to copulation. The eggs, which range in number from six to 44 per clutch (Fitch, 1985), are laid beneath or in logs or in moist soil under rocks during June or July. The eggs hatch in one to two months.
Western Ratsnakes constrict their prey and feed on frogs, lizards, snakes, bird eggs, birds, rodents, and rabbits. Henderson (1974) recorded Douglas County examples of this snake eating frogs, birds, and small mammals. Plummer (1977) reported heavy predation by this snake on bank swallows ·along the Kansas River in the same county. This snake frequently robs bird nests, and provokes heckling by concentrations of birds. Blue Jays have been known to attack Western Ratsnakes during nest robbing. Linsdale (1925) reported predation of a Blue Jay nest on 11 July 1923. Cary et al. (1981) reported predation on a bat in Texas County, Missouri. Juveniles eat small frogs, lizards, and small rodents. They are adept climbers. William L. Hoyle discovered a moderate-sized specimen in the cupola of a barn near Grenola (Elk County), Kansas on 29 July 1933 that was consuming the eggs of an English Sparrow (Burt and Hoyle, 1935). Upon subsequent dissection, it was determined adult female English Sparrow was consumed at the same time.
Hawks are the main predator of the Western Ratsnake in Kansas, though it is preyed upon by mammals and other snakes as well (Collins, 1993). Hawks, in particular, easily locate this snake when it is being heckled by other birds during nest raiding. Capron (1985) recorded 53 of these snakes killed by swathing (mowing) machines during agricultural harvests from May to mid-July in southern Kansas.
Occurrence Activity:
 Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 246; Range: 03 Mar to 28 Dec
Remarks:
 This was the first species of amphibian or reptile to be documented in what we can be sure was Kansas (but in an unfortunate twist of politics that all changed) (Taggart 2021).
Thomas Say (1823) described the type specimen of the Western Ratsnake from Isle au Vache (Cow Island), Kansas (a heavily forested island on the Missouri River). His type locality stretches from NE Kansas to western Iowa. Say wrote... "It is not an uncommon species on the Missouri from the vicinity of Isle au Vache to Council Bluff.".
Cow Island was the site of Cantonment Martin, a military camp established as a supply base for Major Stephen H. Long’s engineering expedition of 1819-20 of which Say served as the naturalist. This expedition set out to survey the Rocky Mountains and the major tributaries of the Missouri River.
A flood in 1881 shifted the main channel of the Missouri River west and Cow Island became connected to the Missouri side. For several years, both Kansas and Missouri lay claim to the land that had been Cow Island and the dispute was ultimately settled in 1890 when a court ruled that a boundy would change with the gradual movement of a natural boundary (accretion) but not due to a sudden change (avulsion). Therefore, the land still belonged to Kansas and would for most of the next 60 years.
The Kansas, Missouri, and the US Congress ratified the Kansas-Missouri Boundary compact in 1949 which set the boundary at the center of the current channel of the Missouri River (which by then had been dredged, levied, and straightened so as to become effectively fixed)... and Kansas lost its first type locality.
The oldest existing specimen is in the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM 4228) and was collected in 1886 (no other associated data).
This species exhibits an ontogenetic color shift as it matures. Newborn individuals are light gray with well-defined dark blotches. In their second year, the pattern begins to be obscured as the snake transitions to an overall dark animal.
Specimens from the southwestern portion of its range in the state show a propensity for maintaining more of their blotched pattern as adults (Miller, 1986, Irwin et al., 1992).
Based on the congruence of morphological (Burbrink, 2001, Herpetol. Monogr. 15: 1–53) and mitochondrial data (Burbrink et al., 2000, Evolution 54: 2107–2118), Burbrink divided P. obsoletus into three species (P. alleghaniensis, P. obsoletus and P. spiloides) with no subspecies. Burbrink (2020) further supported the recognition of P. obsoletus as a taxon distinct from P. alleghaniensis and P. spiloides), but see Hillis and Wuster (2021). While not affecting P. obsoletus (and therefore those populations in Kansas), Burbrink (2021) noted that P. alleghaniensis should actually apply to the middle lineage (geographically; east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachians and Flint/Apalachicola rivers) and the oldest available name for the eastern lineage is P. quadrivittatus.
Hillis (2022) further the debated the status (specific vs. subspecific) of the Pantherophis obsoletus complex across eastern North America. He argued specifically that Burbrink et al. (2020) demonstrated a wide intergrade zone with no apparent breaks due to reproductive/genetic barriers between the their putative P. alleghaniensis, P. quadrivittatus, and P. obsoletus. There is no standard measure as to what point a hybrid/intergrade zone becomes sufficiently wide to determine if the two (or more) constituent populations are species or 'subspecies'. Nor should there be, as doing so would denigrate the delineation of real species to an arbitrary class threshold (Frost and Hillis, 1990). Hillis (2022) further argues that the reasoning (in part) invoked by Burbrink et al. (2021) for elevating P. alleghaniensis, P. quadrivittatus, and P. obsoletus; (specifically that as P. bairdi and P. obsoletus share a more recent common ancestor with each other than either does with P. alleghaniensis or P. quadrivittatus; recognizing P. bairdi and the remaining taxa as subspecies of P. obsoletus, would render P. obsoletus paraphyletic) is likely due to hybridization. However, all phylogenetic hypotheses are generated from gene data and as such are subject to being misled by xenologous/paralogous relationships of those genes with respect to the true phylogeny (which is unknowable).
Utiger et al. (2002, Russian J. Herpetol. 9: 105–124), using molecular data, divided Elaphe into eight genera. New World Elaphe are part of a clade distinct from Old World species, for which Pantherophis Fitzinger, 1843, was resurrected as the oldest available name. Further splitting of Pantherophis has been proposed (Collins and Taggart, 2008).
On the map (Carte itineraire de Prince Maximilian de Wied dans l'interieur de l'Amerique Septentrionale de Boston a Missouri superieur &c. en 1832, 33 et 34) accompanying the report of Prince Maximilian zu Weid's explorations in North America the area of Doniphan County, north and west of Wathena, is labeled "Wa-con-se-nac or Black Snake Hills".
Bibliography:
1822 James, Edwin. Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and ‘20, by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Sec’y of War: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party. Compiled by Edwin James, botanist and geologist for the expedition. In two vols. – with an atlas. [Volume 1]. Henry Charles Carey and Isaac Lea, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 503pp.
This is volume 1 (of 2) of the "Philadelphia" edition, which are dated 1823. However on 21 December 1822, Long sent a bound copy to John C. Calhoun (Secretary of War). It was publicly available, and effectively published for the sake of nomenclatural acts, on 31 December 1822. Woodman, 2010. Archives of Natural History 37(1): 28-38.
Contains the original description of Coluber obsoletus (=Pantherophis obsoletus) page 140, Coluber flaviventris (=Coluber constrictor flaviventris) page 185,  Coluber parietalis (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) page 186, Coluber proximus (=Thamnophis proximus) page 187, and Crotalus tergeminus (=Sistrurus tergeminus) page 499,  all by Thomas Say.
1856 Hallowell, Edward. Notice of a collection of reptiles from Kansas and Nebraska presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences, by Doctor Hammond, U. S. A. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 8():238-253
Contains reference to twenty-four species collected from 'Kansas', and includes the original description of Microps lineatus (=Tropidoclonion lineatum) from Kansas on page 241.
1857 Hallowell, Edward. Note on the collection of reptiles from the neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, recently presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences by Dr. A. Heerman. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 8():306-310
Report on a lot of specimens received at the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences from Dr. Hammond of Ft. Riley Kansas. Of special note are three specimens of Phyrnosoma douglassii (=Phyrnosoma hernandesi) from Ft Riley (it does not naturally occur there and likely never did). Several of the specimens are marked Bridger's Pass (in Wyoming) (Western Milksnake, Plains Hog-nosed Snake, Slender Glass Lizard, and Western Tiger Salamander; all but the Slender Glass Lizard occur near there). A specimen of the Red-spotted Toad is reported as well, however, it does not occur near Ft. Riley, and as given "One Bufo punctatus, (young of Americanus)." there is some question as to its actual identity.
1862 Colt, Miriam. D. Went to Kansas: Being a thrilling account of an ill-fated expedition to that fairy land, and its sad results; Together with a sketch of the life of the author, and how the world goes with her. L. Ingalls and Company, Watertown. 294pp.
Based on the personal diaries of Miriam Colt. The accounts written as she and her family traveled from New York to Kansas in 1856 to join the Vegetarian Society settlement (on the Neosho River near present day Humboldt) and their challenges once they arrived. There are mentions of "rattlesnakes" (Timber Rattlesnakes as described [though there are no present day records from the Neosho River drainage in Kansas]), "copperheads",  "blow snakes" (Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes), "black snakes" (Western Ratsnakes), chorusing frogs ("soprano peeper, up to the bass "grout"), and "spotted lizards". 
1877 Mozley, Annie E. List of Kansas snakes in the museum of the Kansas State University. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 6():34-35
First attempt to compile a complete list of snakes reported from Kansas. Most specimens were from Douglas and Wallace counties.
Contains obvious identification/locality errors Thamnophis marcianus (Douglas County) and Heterodon simus (Wallace County).
Neroida holbrookii = Nerodia rhombifer.
Use of the name 'Kansas State University' actually refers to The University of Kansas where Annie E. (Mozley)Boddington received her BS @ KU in 1878 (see also Gloyd 1928).
1880 Cragin, Francis W. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7():112-123
Also listed the Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) [=Ophibolus doliatus var. coccineus] and Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) [=Spelerpes ruber] from Kansas.
1882 Yarrow, Henry C. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249
A summary of all herpetological species known at the time, with reference to specimens in the United States National Museum. Including one three Acris blanchardi from Fort Riley; Agkistrodon contortrix from Fort Riley; three Ambystoma mavortium from "Kansas" and another from Fort Riley; one Anaxyrus woodhousii from "Kansas"; one Anaxyrus cognatus from "Kansas" and another from Fort Riley; one Carphophis vermis from Fort Scott; three Coluber constrictor from "Kansas" and two from Fort Riley; one Crotalus horridus from 1858; one Diadophis punctatus from Hyatt [Hyette sic], Kansas (Anderson County); one Graptemys pseudogeographica from the Republican River in Kansas;   two Heterodon nasicus from Fort Riley; one Lampropeltis calligaster from Neosho Falls; one Lampropeltis holbrooki from Fort Riley, one from "Natchez", Kansas, and one other from Shawnee Mission, Kansas;one Lampropeltis gentilis from Fort Riley and one other from the Republican River, Kansas; one Pantherophis obsoletus from Fort Riley;fourteen Phrynosoma douglassi from "Kansas" and four from Fort Riley; three Phrynosoma cornutum from Fort Riley (Riley County);  three Pituophis catenifer from "Platte Valley", Kansas [likely from eastern Colorado prior to 1861] and two specimens from Fort Riley; one Plestiodon septentrionalis from Neosho Falls (Woodson County); one Plestiodon obsoletus from Fort Riley; one Thamnophis sirtalis from "Kansas"; one Nerodia sipedon from Fort Riley and another from Neosho Falls; one Scincella lateralis from Fort Scott (Bourbon County); one Thamnophis proximus from Fort Riley; four Sceloporus consobrinus from Fort Riley; one Tantilla nigriceps from Fort Riley; four Thamnophis sirtalis from "Kansas" and two from Little Blue River, Kansas; 
1885 Cragin, Francis W. Recent additions to the list of Kansas reptiles and batrachians, with further notes on species previously reported. Bulletin of the Washburn College Laboratory of Natural History 1(3):100-103
1885 Cragin, Francis W. Second contribution to the herpetology of Kansas, with observations on the Kansas fauna. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 9():136-140
1886 Ebbutt, Percy G. Emigrant Life in Kansas Swan Sonnenschein and Company, Paternoster Square, London. 237pp.
Life around their homestead, seven miles from Parkerville along the Neosho River, in Morris County, Kansas. A lot of tales so tall as to render doubt on the few plausible scenarios presented. References to the deafening sounds of toads, as well as the abundance of lizards (including chameleons), and snakes. Many references to hunting and killing snakes. Many references to 'rattlesnakes' however, we can't tell what species they are. Includes an illustration of a Texas Horned Lizard and four illustrations of individuals killing snakes.
1904 Branson, Edwin B. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430
1907 Ditmars, Raymond L. The Reptile Book; A comprehensive, Popularised Work on the Structure and Habits of the Turtles, Tortoises, Crocodilians, Lizards and Snakes which Inhabit the United States and Northern Mexico. Doubleday, Pae, and Company, New York. 472pp.
Several references to Kansas in the distribution of specific species accounts.
1911 Hurter, Julius. Herpetology of Missouri. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 20(5):59-274
1925 Linsdale, Jean M. Land Vertebrates of a Limited Area in Eastern Kansas. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 312pp.
1927 Burt, Charles E. An annotated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Riley County, Kansas. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (189):12
Accounts on forty species known from the vicinity of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. There have been several scientific names changes since publication, which is understandable... however, some usages cannot be explained by subsequent taxonomic reappraisals(e.g.  Gastrophryne carolinensis for Gastrophryne olivacea). The writer lists Eumeces (=Plestiodon) obsoletus and E. guttulatus yet correctly reasoning that the latter is the young of the former. Within the account of Tantilla gracilis (a common form) the writer mentions that T. nigriceps was reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) but that the specimens at Kansas State were absent at the time of publication. The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) was first reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) and is reported by the writer based on a specimen in the museum at Kansas State University by Professor E. A. Popenoe. The Prairie Rattlesnake is not currently native to Riley County, and closest reliable localities are 150 to the west.
1927 Linsdale, Jean M. Amphibians and reptiles of Doniphan County, Kansas. Copeia 1927(164):75-81
1929 Taylor, Edward H. A revised checklist of the snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(5):53-62
1932 Guthrie, J. E. Snakes versus birds; Birds versus snakes. The Wilson Bulletin 44(2):88-113
1933 Burt, Charles E. Some distributional and ecological records of Kansas reptiles. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 26():186-208
1934 Burt, Charles E. and W. L. Hoyle. Additional records of the reptiles of the central prairie region of the United States. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():193-216
1935 Burt, Charles E. Further records of the ecology and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the middle west. American Midland Naturalist 16(3):311-366
1936 Hurd, Myron Alec. The reptiles of Cherokee County, Kansas. Thesis. Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. 103pp.
Under the supervision of thesis adviser Harry H. Hall. Report on 38 species (8 turtles, 7 lizards, and 23 snakes)... most unsubstantiated. Interesting inclusion are Crotalus horridus, Crotalus viridis, Kinosternon subrubrum, Opheodrys vernalis, and Phrynosoma cornutum.
1936 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed, . 22pp.
County dot maps of the Kansas herpetofauna. This work has been attributed to have been written around 1933, but that may be in error. 
Hypsiglena jani was not known from Kansas until Claude W. Hibbard collected three specimens on the Stevenson Ranch in north-central Clark County (above Clark State Lake) during June 1936 (Hibbard, 1937). Brumwell plotted this locality, which leads me to believe that the 1936 would have been the earliest date this manuscript could have been written.
1938 Bond, Glenn Carl Serological studies of the Reptilia. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 110pp.
1941 Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.
1947 Hall, Henry H. and Hobart M. Smith. Selected records of reptiles and amphibians from southeastern Kansas Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 49(4):447-454
Report on certain Kansas specimens housed in the collection at what is now Pittsburg State University. Included are several species of dubious status today, including Cryptobranchus alleganiensis from the Neosho and Spring rivers (the only specimens from those significant drainages ever documented), Ambystoma maculatum from just north of Pittsburg, Crawford County, Heterodon nasicus from Crawford County, Opheodrys vernalis from Crawford County, Sonora episcopa from Crawford County, Agkistrodon piscivorus from Cherokee County, Crotalus atrox from Crawford County, and Crotalus viridis from Crawford County. They report several significant range extensions including Kinosternon flavescens from Turkey Creek in southeast Cherokee County, Graptemys geographica from just north of Pittsburg, Crotaphytus collaris from near Columbus, Cherokee County, Sceloporus consobrinus from just north of Pittsburg, Phrynosoma cornutum from Cherokee and Crawford counties, Heterodon platirhinos from Cherokee and Crawford counties, Haldea striatula from Crawford County, Sistrurus tergeminus from Crawford County, and a 402 lb Macrochelys temminckii in Cherokee County from just east of Chetopa (Labette County). They allude to the potential for Anaxyrus fowleri to occur in southeast Kansas and for native populations of Crotalus atrox in south central Kansas (in part from the disclosure that John R. Breukelman [then of ESU] had obtained three specimens in Woods County Oklahoma, 3/4 of a mile south of the Kansas line). None of the specimens the paper was based on, exist today.
1950 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336
The first modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table and text say 97 on p. 10) and 13 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies.
1951 Dowling, Herndon G. A taxonomic study of the American representative of the Genus Elaphe Fitzinger, with particular attention to the forms occurring in Mexico and Central America Dissertation. Univeristy of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 1-195pp.
1951 Wolfenbarger, Keith. A. Systematic and Biological Studies on North American Chiggers of the genus Eutrombicula (Acarina, Trombiculidae). Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 77pp.
1951 Brumwell, Malcolm J. An ecological survey of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation American Midland Naturalist 45(1):187-231
Published posthumously. Lieutenant Brumwell died December 14, 1941, as a result of injuries incurred during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This paper is a condensed version of his thesis for the Master's degree.
1952 Dowling, Herndon G. A taxonomic study of the rat snakes, genus Elaphe Fitzinger. IV. A check list of the American forms. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (541):1-12
1953 Schmidt, Karl P. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.
Schmidt's first edition of his standardized checklist to North American amphibians and reptiles. Includes several specific references to Kansas in the range descriptions.
1956 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356
Hobart M. Smith's updated second edition of his first (1950) modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table says 97 on p. 10; text says 98 on p. 10) and 11 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies. The second edition has updated taxonomy, added Plestiodon laticeps, and removed Eurycea tynerensis.
1956 Loomis, Richard B. The chigger mites of Kansas (Acarina, Trombiculidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 37():1195-1443
Examined 2,628 Kansas reptiles of 48 species consisting of 27 turtles of 4 species, 1,736 lizards of 12 species and 892 snakes of 32 species for chiggers. Eleven species of chiggers were recovered from reptiles.
For amphibians, 1188 individuals of 21 species were examined. Five species of chigger mite were recovered from amphibians.
1963 Auffenberg, Walter. The fossil snakes of Florida. Tulane Studies in Zoology 10(3):131-216
1963 Platt, Dwight R. and Charles H. Rousell. County records of snakes from southcentral Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 66(3):551
1963 Fitch, Henry S. Natural history of the Black Rat Snake (Elaphe o. obsoleta) in Kansas. Copeia 1963(4):649-658
1967 Choate, Jerry R. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46pp.
1967 Brattstrom, Bayard H. A succession of Pliocene and Pleistocene snake fauna from the High Plains of the United States. Copeia 1967(1):188-202
An examination (or in many cases, a re-examination) of 11,000 accumulated skeletal elements from fossil deposits collected at various sites and ranging in age from Lower Pliocene to the Recent.
1970 Fitch, Henry S. Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (52):1-247
1973 McLeran, V. Friendly constrictors. Kansas Fish and Game (30(2)):8-11
Popular article: states that "Kansas is host to six constrictor reptiles" (Lampropeltis calligaster, L. holbrookia, L. gentilis/triangulum, Pantherophis emoryi, Pantherophis obsoletus, and Pituophis catenifer)... omitting Arizona elegans and Rhinocheilus lecontei. The image of the 'milk snake' is actually an Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) and the bullsnake in the Red-tailed Hawk nest (apparently a natural predation event recorded by the author) is a Prairie Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster).
1974 Henderson, Robert W. Resource partitioning among snakes of the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation: A preliminary analysis. Milwaukee Public Museum Contributions in Biology and Geology (1):1-11
1974 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp
Joseph T. Collins first Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Smith 1956)>
1974 Karns, Daryl, Ray E. Ashton, Jr., and Thomas Swearingen. Illustrated Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas: An Identification Manual. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History Public Education Series(2):viii + 18
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3pp.
Short accounts for twenty-nine recognized amphibians and reptiles from Kingman County, Kansas. With habitat descriptions and for some species, estimates of population density.
1975 Thomas, Richard A. Taxonomic chaos: Elaphe guttata (Linnaeus), a case in point. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 11(4):171-176
1976 Rundquist, Eric M. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence. pp.
1976 Caldwell, Janalee P. and Gregory. Glass. Vertebrates of the Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Pages 62-76 in Preliminary inventory of the biota of Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Report No. 5. State Biological Survey of Kansas, Lawrence. pp.
1976 Grow, David. The KHS goes to Chetopa. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (13):2-3
Spring field trip (22 May 1976) along the Neosho River.
1976 Sexton, O. J., N. Shannon, and S. Shannon. Late season hatching success of Elaphe o. obsoleta. Herpetological Review 7():171
1976 Rickart, Eric A. A new horned lizard (Phrynosoma adinognathus) from the early Pleistocene of Meade County, Kansas, with comments on the herpetofauna of the Borchers locality. Herpetologica 32(1):64-67
Contains the original description of Phrynosoma adinognathus.
1977 Miller, Larry L. Five days in February. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (18):10-11
1977 Trott, Gene. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (19):2-3
1977 Perry, Janice. KHS members achieve goal: Get Cottonmouth. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (21):3-4
1977 Plummer, Michael V. Predation by Black Rat Snakes in bank swallow colonies. Southwestern Naturalist 22():147-148
1977 Cink, Calvin L. Snake predation on Bell's Vireo nestlings. Wilson Bulletin 89(2):349-350
1978 Curl, Richard L. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158pp.
Notable mentions: Spotted Salamander, Smooth Green Snake
1978 Fitch, Henry S. and E. Raymond Hall. A 20year record of succession on reseeded fields of tallgrass prairie on the Rockefeller Experimental Tract. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Special Publication (4):1-15
1978 Warner, M. and R. Wencel. Chikaskia River study held near Caldwell. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (25):15-16
1978 Capron, Marty B. Four county collecting raid: A south central Kansas herping saga. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (26):9-12
1978 Perry, Janice. KHS successful at Miami County State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (27):5
1979 Knight, James L. Herps observed or collected during the first three months of 1979. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (30):6-7
Authorship listed as Anonymous in Collins et al. (2010).
1979 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1978. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 8():56-66
1980 Spencer, Dwight. Spencer, D. 1980. Ross Natural History Reservation: the first twenty years, 1959 to 1979. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.. 64pp.
1980 Powell, Robert. Kansas size record for Black Rat Snake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (35):12
1980 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1979. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 9():1-11
1980 Stickel, Lucille F., W. H. Stickel, and F. C. Schmid. Ecology of a Maryland population of Black Rat Snakes (Elaphe o. obsoleta). American Midland Naturalist 103():42749
1981 Guarisco, Hank. The Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta). Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (41):6-8
1981 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1980. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 10():7-19
1981 Cary, D. L., R. L. Clawson, and D. Grimes. An observation of snake predation on a bat. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 84(4):223-224
Predation on a putative Indian Bat (Myotis sodalis) by a Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus).
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Report to the Kansas Fish and Game Commission on the status of three amphibians in southeastern Kansas. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt. 57pp.
1982 Fitch, Henry S. Resources of a snake community in prairie-woodland habitat of northeastern Kansas. Pages 83-97 in Herpetological communities: A symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists League, August 1977.  Wildlife Research Reports 12. 239 pp. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C. pp.
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8):
Joseph T. Collins second Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1974)>
1982 Lokke, John L. Featured herp: Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta. Nebraska Herpetological Society Newsletter 3(2):4
1983 Lokke, John L. Featured herp: The western rat snakes. Nebraska Herpetological Society Newsletter 4(3):5-7
1983 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13():9-21
1983 Gress, Robert J. Black Rat Snake predation on nestling Pileated Woodpeckers Kansas Ornithological Society Bulletin 34(3):27-28
Reported predation by Pantherophis obsoletus on Dryocopus pileatus (Pileated Woodpecker) nestlings in Cowley County, Kansas.
1984 Brown, Kenneth L. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519pp.
1984 Heinrich, Mark L. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57pp.
1984 Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57
1984 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1983. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (56):15-26
Invalidated the specimens of Thamnophis sirtalis from Hamilton County (reidentified as T. cyrtopsis; KU 2088) and Wallace County mapped in Collins, 1982.
1985 Karch, Olin. Summertime in Emporia --  A short Melodrama in 10 acts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (61):18-24
1985 Lynch, John D. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Science 13():33-57
1986 Warner, Russell G. Reproduction, Movement, and Survival of the Eastern Woodrat. Thesis. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas. 62pp.
1986 Miller, Larry L. The status of the black rat snake in Sumner County, Kansas Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (64):12
1986 Capron, Marty B. Winter activity noted in southern Kansas herps. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (64):15-16
1986 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1986. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (66):9-16
1987 Farley, Greg H. Comparative breeding strategies of two coexisting passerines: Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii) and Bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii). Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan. pp.
1987 Knoch, Harold W. Activity of the Eastern Wood Rat, (Neotoma floridana osagensis), as influenced by environmental conditions. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan. pp.
1987 Coleman, Keith. Annual KHS Field Trip held at Atchison State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (68):5-6
1988 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1987. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (71):13-19
1989 Collins, Joseph T. First Kansas herp counts held in 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (77):11-
1989 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (78):16-21
1990 Simon, Martin P. and Joseph H. Dorlac. The results of a faunistic survey of reptiles and amphibians of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 11pp.
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17
1990 Frost, Darrel R. and David M. Hillis. Species in concept and practice: Herpetological applications. Herpetologica 46(1):87-104
1991 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1991 Fitch, Henry S. Reptiles and amphibians of the Kansas ecological reserves. Pages 71-74 in Ecology and Hydrology of Kansas Ecological Reserves and the Baker Wetlands. Multidisciplinary Guidebook 4. Kansas Academy of Science, Lawrence, Kansas. pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Results of third Kansas herp count held during April-May 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (85):9-13
1991 Cink, Calvin L. Snake predation on nestling Eastern Phoebes followed by turtle predation on snake. Kansas Ornithological Society Newsletter 42(3):29
1991 Gress, Robert J. Snake predation on nestling Eastern Phoebes followed by turtle predation on snake. Kansas Ornithological Society Bulletin 42(3):29
Reported predation by Pantherophis obsoletus on Sayornis phoebe (Eastern Phoebe), and the subsequent predation of that snake by Chelydra serpentina in Douglas County, Kansas.
1992 Ford, Kenneth M. III. Herpetofauna of the Albert Ahrens Local Fauna (Pleistocene: Irvingtonian), Nebraska. Thesis. Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan. 44pp.
1992 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (87):12-17
1992 Collins, Joseph T. Results of the fourth Kansas herp count held during April-May 1992. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):10-
1992 Lokke, John L. Some thoughts on the status of the Western Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina) in southeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa, northwest Missouri, and northeast Kansas Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):14-16
1992 Irwin, Kelly J., Larry Miller and Travis W. Taggart. Geographic distribution: Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii Herpetological Review 23(1):27
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397pp.
Joseph T. Collins third Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1982)>
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the fifth Kansas herp count held during April-June 1993 . Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (94):7-11
1993 Viets, Brian E. An annotated list of the herpetofauna of the F. B., and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(1/2):103-113
1993 Fitch, Henry S. Relative abundance of snakes in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(3/4):213-224
1994 Fitzgerald, Eve C. and Charles Nilon. Classification of habitats for endangered and threatened species in Wyandotte County, Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, Kansas. 98pp.
1994 Riedle, J. Daren. Distribution of the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) in Chautauqua, Elk, and Montgomery counties, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (95):43051
1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14
See, 1994 Rundquist, Eric M. Additions and corrections [to the results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994]. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):4.
1994 Riedle, J. Daren. A survey of reptiles and amphibians at Montgomery County State Fishing Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):11-13
1995 Holman, J. Alan. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford University Press, New York. 243pp.
1995 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (100):24-47
1995 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the seventh annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (101):11-17
1995 Bartlett, R. The captivating North American rat snakes. Reptiles 3(6):56-75
1995 Parmley, Dennis and J. Alan Holman. Hemphillian (Late Miocene) snakes from Nebraska, with comments on Arikareean through Blancan Snakes of midcontinental North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(1):79-95
1995 Boundy, Jeff. Maximum lengths of North American snakes. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 30(6):109-122
1996 Schultz, K. D. A Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of the Genus Elaphe Fitzinger. Koeltz Scientific Books, Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic. pp.
1996 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):13-15
1996 Miller, Larry L. Results of the KHS 1995 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):3
1996 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17
1996 Rundquist, Eric M. Notes on the natural history of some Kansas amphibians and reptiles: Parasites. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (105):16-17
1996 Miller, Larry L. Third graders conduct amphibian and reptile field study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):15
1996 Miller, Larry L. Many amphibian and reptile species identified during KHS 1996 fall field trip to Wabaunsee County. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (106):2-3
1996 Rakestraw, J. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80
1996 Dundee, Harold A. Some reallocations of type localities of reptiles and amphibians described from the Major Stephen H. Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, with comments on some of the statements made in the account written by Edwin James.  Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 30():75–89
1996 Shoup, J. Mark. Wise as serpents. Kansas Wildlife and Parks 53(4):39
1997 Prior, Kent A. Conservation biology of Black Rat Snakes: Ecological, demographic, and genetic approaches. Dissertation. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. 211pp.
1997 Simmons, John E. Report on a clutch of rat snake eggs (Elaphe obsoleta) from Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):10-11
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Addendum to 1997 KHS herp counts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (109):14-15
1997 Collins, Joseph T. A report on the KHS fall field trip to the Marais des Cygnes wildlife refuges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (110):2-3
1998 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1998 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131pp.
1998 Gamble, Jerre. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91pp.
1998 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18
1998 Collins, Joseph T. Results of the KHS silver anniversary fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (114):6-
1999 Lardie, Richard L. The subspecific status and western distribution of the Eastern Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta, in Oklahoma. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):16-17
1999 Rundquist, Eric M. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962
1999 Taggart, Travis W. Cherokee County fall 1999 herp count. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (117):6
Reported Anaxyrus woodhousii was likely A. fowleri.
2000 Burbrink, Frank T. Systematics of the polymorphic North American rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta). Dissertation. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. 202pp.
2000 Fitch, Henry S. Population structure and biomass of some common snakes in central North America. Scientific Papers of the Natural History Museum, University of Kansas (17):1-7
2000 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16
2000 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2000 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):6-8
2000 Burbrink, Frank T., Robin Lawson, and Joseph B. Slowinski. Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of the polytypic North American Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta): A critique of the subspecies concept. Evolution 54():2107-2118
2001 Johnson, Richard W. Spatial ecology of the Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) in and eastern Texas upland community. Thesis. Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas. 54pp.
2001 Taggart, Travis W. The KHS 2001 spring field trip: A rainy rendezvous. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):12-14
2001 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2000. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):6-8
2001 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16
2001 Burbrink, Frank T. Systematics of the Eastern Rat Snake complex (Elaphe obsoleta). Herpetological Monographs 15():1-53
2001 Prior, Kent A., Gabriel Blouin-Demers, and Patrick J. Weatherhead. Sampling biases in demographic analysis of Black Rat Snakes (Elaphe obsoleta). Herpetologica 57(4):460-469
2002 Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152pp.
2002 Fogell, Daniel D. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6pp.
2002 Riedle, J. Daren and A. Hynek. Amphibian and reptile inventory of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, Labette County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):18-20
2002 Ellis, Mark R. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5
2002 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2002 fall field Trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):11-13
To Washington County, Kansas (also includes ancillary counts from Clay and Marshall counties).
2002 Miller, Larry L. Shawnee County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15
2002 Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schatti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf, and Vincent Ziswiler. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old and New World Ratsnakes, Elaphe AUCT., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae) Russian Journal of Herpetology 9(2):105-124
2003 Freeman, Craig C. A natural areas inventory of the Ft. Leavenworth Military Reservation, Leavenworth County, Kansas. II. Open-file Report No. 117. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas. 199pp.
2003 Fogell, Daniel D. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59pp.
This is the version the author submitted to the NPS. Their final publication was modified.
2003 Suleiman, G. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12
2003 Platt, Dwight R. Lizards and snakes (Order Squamata) of Harvey County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):13-20
2003 Fitch, Henry S. Reproduction in snakes of the Fitch Natural History Reservation in northeastern Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):21-24
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5
2003 Miller, Larry L. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10
2003 Miller, Larry L. and Suzanne L. Miller. Wakarusa herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10
2003 Burr, Andrew. Coffey County herp count 1. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7
2003 Lokke, John L. and Jill Lokke. Cowley County herp count 2. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8
2003 Miller, Larry L. Indian Creek herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9
2003 Suleiman, Gibran. Fort Riley herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9
2003 Fitch, Henry S., Scott Sharp, and Kylee Sharp. Snakes of the University of Kansas biotic succession area. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (8):20-21
2003 Pisani, George R. Elaphe o. obsoleta (Black Ratsnake) Escape behavior, habitat. Herpetological Review 34(1):66
2004 Lalley, M. L. Blood parasites of two species of rat snake (Elaphe spp.) from southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas.  Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. pp.
2004 Lalley, Maggie L. Blood parasites of two species of rat snake (Elaphe spp.) from southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 29pp.
2004 Fitch, Henry S. Food surplus and body size in local populations of snakes. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (10):14-16
2004 Collins, Joseph T. Marais des Cygnes herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11
2004 Ellis, Mark R. and Kathy Ellis. Wakarusa herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):12
2005 Klug, Page. The effects of local grassland habitat and surrounding landscape compostion [sic] on the predators of grassland bird nests. Thesis. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. 143pp.
2005 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS 2005 fall field trip [to Crawford County]. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (16):19-21
2005 Stake, Mike M. , Frank R. Thompson III, John Faaborg, and Dirk E. Burhans. Patterns of snake predation at songbird nests in Missouri and Texas. Journal of Herpetology 39(2):215-222
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2006 Wilgers, Dustin J., Eva A. Horne, Brett K. Sandercock, and Allan W. Volkmann. Effects of rangeland management on community dynamics of the herpetofauna of the tallgrass prairie. 62():378-388
2007 Mann, A. M. A Taxonomic Investigation of the Black Rat Snake, Elaphe o. obsoleta (Say) [Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae], in West Virginia Using Morphometric Analyses. Thesis. Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 101pp.
2008 Collins, Joseph T. and Travis W. Taggart. An alternative classification of the New World rat snakes (genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae]). Journal of Kansas Herpetology (26):16-18
2008 Pierce, Josh B., Robert R. Fleet, Lance McBrayer and D. Craig Rudolph. Use of trees by the Texas Ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta) in eastern Texas. Southeastern Naturalist 7(2):359-366
2008 Genoways, Hugh H. and Brett C. Ratcliffe. Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, 1819-1820: America's first biodiversity inventory. Great Plains Research 18(Spring):3-31
2009 Murrow, Daniel G. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769
2010 Miller, Larry L. Investigation of the Checkered Garter Snake in Kansas with notes on other Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles encountered. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, Kansas. 31pp.
2010 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400pp.
Joseph T. Collins fourth Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1993)>
2010 Murrow, Daniel G. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3
2011 McMartin, David C. U. S. Army 2011 Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey: 23 April - 09 May 2011. Privately printed, Leavenworth, Kansas. 33pp.
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to beheld in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4
2011 McMartin, D. Chris. Herp Count: Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey for 2011. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):8-9
2011 Houck, Mike. Fort Riley Herpetofaunal Survey for 2011. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):9
2012 Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp.
2012 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152pp.
2012 Shew, Justin J. , Brian D. Greene , and Francis E. Durbian. Spatial ecology and habitat use of the Western Foxsnake (Pantherophis vulpinus) on Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri). Journal of Herpetology 46(4):539-548
2013 Miller, Larry L. Wellington Lake Herpetological Survey. Collinsorum 2(1/2):12
2013 Sinclair, Tom. A four-day spring snake count across northern Kansas. Collinsorum 2(1/2):9
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Fall Field Trip to Atchison County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Spring Field Trip to Schermerhorn Park, Cherokee County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2013 Fall Field Trip to Butler County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):6
2013 Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7
2013 Johnson, Stephen R. Half-time herping on one big prairie. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 48(5):65-66
2013 Langford, Gabriel J. and John Janovy Jr. Host specificity of North American Rhabdias spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae): Combining field data and experimental infections with a molecular phylogeny. The Journal of Parasitology 99(2):277- 286
2014 McMartin, D. Chris. Fort Leavenworth Heretofaunal Survey for 2013. Collinsorum 3(1):10
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County Collinsorum 3(2-4):11
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the 2014 KHS Fall Field Trip to Woodson County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Recent scientific and standard English name changes effecting the Kansas herpetofauna. Collinsorum 3(2-4):9-10
2015 Mike Houck. 2015 Fort Riley Herpetofaunal Count final report. Collinsorum 4(1):10-11
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Fall Field Trip Held In Washington County. Collinsorum 4(3):4
2015 George, Andrew D., F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. Isolating weather effects from seasonal activity patterns of a temperate North American Colubrid. Oecologia 178(4):1251–1259
2016 Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002) Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48pp.
2016 Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494pp.
2016 Engelbert, Jared. Geographic distribution: Pantherophis obsoletus: Mitchell County, Kansas. Collinsorum 5(4):16
2016 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7
2017 Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. A Pocket Guide to Kansas Amphibians, Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69pp.
2017 Crother, Brian I. (editor) Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102
2017 Mardis, Dexter R. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10
2017 George, Andrew D., G. M. Connette, F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. Resource selection by an ectothermic predator in a dynamic thermal landscape. Ecology and Evolution 7():9557–9566
2017 Chen, Xin, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, R. Alexander Pyron, and Frank T. Burbrink. Using phylogenomics to understand the link between biogeographic origins and regional diversification in ratsnakes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 111():206-218
2018 Houck, Mike. Herp Count: Fort Riley Military Installation Collinsorum 7(1):17
2019 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192pp.
2019 Ferguson, Gary W., D. T. Roberts, R. Hartdegen, W. H. Gehrmann, L. A. Mitchell, and B. Lawrence. Seasonal activity and population fluctuations of a free-ranging population of the rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus inhabiting the Dallas Zoo, Texas. The Southwestern Naturalist 64(3/4):173-179
2019 Riedle, J. Daren. The truth about snakes. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July/August():18-21
2020 Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86pp.
2020 Riedle, J. Daren. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16
2020 Burbrink, Frank T. Marcelo Gehara, Alexander D. McKelvy, and Edward A. Myers. Resolving spatial complexities of hybridization in the context of the gray zone of speciation in North American ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex) Evolution 75(2):260–277
2020 Hullinger, Allison, Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and William Stark. Habitat assessment of the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) and the associated squamate community in eastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(1-2):137-150
2020 Rader, Jennifer. Southeast Kansas Nature Center. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July-August():38-41
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-02 Collinsorum 9(3):11-12
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-03 Collinsorum 9(3):12
2021 Taggart, Travis W. On the type locality of Pantherophis obsoletus. Collinsorum 10(2):3-4
2021 Hillis, David and Wolfgang Wuster. Taxonomy and nomenclature of the Pantherophis obsoletus complex. Herpetological Review 52(1):51–52
2021 Burbrink, Frank T., R. Alexander Pyron, Marcelo Gehara, Alexander D. McKelvy, and Edward A. Myers. The corrected taxonomic history of the North American Ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus Complex), Herpetological Review 53(3):537-547
2021 Burns, Ashley E. and David A. Penning. Is there always a need for speed? Testing for differences in the striking behavior of Western Ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) when encountering predators and prey. Journal of Herpetology 55(1):55-61
2021 Burbrink, Frank and Sara Ruane. Contemporary philosophy and methods for studying speciation and delimiting species. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109(3):874-894
2022 George, Andrew D., F. R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. Movements and habitat use by western ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus) in a fragmented Midwestern landscape. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 17():306–315
2022 Hillis, David M. Species, clades, and their relationship to paraphyly and monophyly: Examples from the Pantherophis obsoletus complex. Herpetological Review 53(1):47-53
2023 Russell, Elisabeth Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81pp.
2023 Burbrink, Frank T., Sean M. Harrington, Dean Bobo, and Edward A. Myers. Considering admixture when producing draft genomes: an example in North American ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis/Pantherophis obsoletus) G3 Genes Genomes Genetics 13(10):1-8
2024 Burbrink, Frank T., Edward A. Myers, R. Alexander Pyron. Understanding species limits through the formation of phylogeographic lineages. Ecology and Evolution 14(10):1-18
2024 Everhart, Michael J. Photo Essay: Observations on the occurrence of the Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus Say 1823) aAlong Spring Creek, Sedgwick County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 127(3/4):157-159
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Travis W. Taggart © 1999-2024 — w/ Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University