North American Natricine Species

Note: Species endemic to Central America, if any, are not included; I haven’t yet found a source that lists them. Garter snake subspecies are listed in their respective species pages; other natricine subspecies are listed here.

Kirtland’s Snake: Clonophis Cope, 1889

Kirtland’s Snake, C. kirtlandii (Kennicott, 1856)

Extinct Natricine Genus: Neonatrix Holman, 1973

N. elongata Holman, 1973 (Extinct Miocene species; Nebraska and South Dakota)
N. infera Holman, 1996 (Extinct Miocene species; Texas)
N. magna Holman, 1982 (Extinct Miocene species; Nebraska)

Water Snakes: Nerodia Baird and Girard, 1853

Salt Marsh Snake, N. clarkii (Baird and Girard, 1853)

Gulf Salt Marsh Snake, N. c. clarkii (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Mangrove Salt Marsh Snake, N. c. compressicauda Kennicott, 1860
Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake, N. c. taeniata (Cope, 1895)

Mississippi Green Water Snake, N. cyclopion (Duméril, Bibron and Duméril, 1854)
Plain-bellied Water Snake, N. erythrogaster (Forster, 1771)

Aguanaval Water Snake, N. e. alta (Conant, 1963)
Nazas Water Snake, N. e. bogerti (Conant, 1953)
Red-bellied Water Snake, N. e. erythogaster (Forster, 1771)
Yellow-bellied Water Snake, N. e. flavigaster (Conant, 1949)
Copper-bellied Water Snake, N. e. neglecta (Conant, 1949)
Blotched Water Snake, N. e. transversa (Hallowell, 1852)

Southern Water Snake, N. fasciata (Linnaeus, 1766)

Broad-banded Water Snake, N. f. confluens (Blanchard, 1923)
Banded Water Snake, N. f. fasciata (Linnaeus, 1766)
Florida Water Snake, N. f. pictiventris (Cope, 1895)

Florida Green Water Snake, N. floridana (Goff, 1936)
Harter’s Water Snake, N. harteri (Trapido, 1941)

Brazos River Water Snake, N. h. harteri (Trapido, 1941)
Concho Water Snake, N. h. paucimaculata (Tinkle and Conant, 1961)

N. hibbardi Holman, 1968 (Extinct Pliocene species; Idaho)
N. hillmani Wilson, 1968 (Extinct Pliocene species; Kansas)
Diamond-backed Water Snake, N. rhombifer (Hallowell, 1852)

Tampico Water Snake, N. r. blanchardi (Clay, 1938)
Diamond-backed Water Snake, N. r. rhombifer (Hallowell, 1852)
Tabasco Water Snake, N. r. werleri (Conant, 1953)

Northern Water Snake, N. sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758)

Lake Erie Water Snake, N. s. insularum (Conant and Clay, 1937)
Northern Water Snake, N. s. sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Midland Water Snake, N. s. pleuralis (Cope, 1892)
Carolina Water Snake, N. s. williamengelsi (Conant and Lazell, 1973)

Brown Water Snake, N. taxispilota (Holbrook, 1838)

Crayfish and Queen Snakes: Regina Baird and Girard, 1853

Striped Crayfish Snake, R. alleni (Garman, 1874)
Graham’s Crayfish Snake, R. grahamii Baird and Girard, 1853
R. intermedia Meyland, 1982 (Extinct Pleistocene species; Florida)
Glossy Crayfish Snake, R. rigida (Say, 1825)

Delta Crayfish Snake, R. r. deltae (Huheey, 1959)
Glossy Crayfish Snake, R. r. rigida (Say, 1825)
Gulf Crayfish Snake, R. r. sinicola (Huheey, 1959)

Queen Snake, R. septemvittata (Say, 1825)

Swamp Snakes: Seminatrix Cope, 1895

Black Swamp Snake, S. pygaea (Cope, 1871)

South Florida Swamp Snake, S. p. cyclas Dowling, 1950
Carolina Swamp Snake, S. p. paludis Dowling, 1950
North Florida Swamp Snake, S. p. pygaea (Cope, 1871)

Brown and Red-bellied Snakes: Storeria Baird and Girard, 1853

Brown Snake, S. dekayi (Holbrook, 1836)

Dugès’s Brown Snake, S. d. anomala Dugès, 1888
Northern Brown Snake, S. d. dekayi (Holbrook, 1836)
Marsh Brown Snake, S. d. limnetes Anderson, 1961
Trapido’s Brown Snake, S. d. temporalineata Trapido, 1944
Texas Brown Snake, S. d. texana Trapido, 1944
Tropical Brown Snake, S. d. tropica Cope, 1885
Midland Brown Snake, S. d. wrightorum Trapido, 1944

Mexican Yellow-bellied Brown Snake, S. hildagoensis Taylor, 1942
Mexican Brown Snake, S. storerioides (Cope, 1865)
Red-bellied Snake, S. occipitomaculata (Storer, 1839)

Florida Red-bellied Snake, S. o. obscura Trapido, 1944
Northern Red-bellied Snake, S. o. occipitomaculata (Storer, 1839)
Black Hills Red-bellied Snake, S. o. pahasapae Smith, 1963

Florida Brown Snake, S. victa Hay, 1892

Garter Snakes: Thamnophis Fitzinger, 1843

Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter Snake, T. atratus (Kennicott, 1860)
Short-headed Garter Snake, T. brachystoma (Cope, 1892)
Butler’s Garter Snake, T. butleri (Cope, 1889)
Golden-headed Garter Snake, T. chrysocephalus (Cope, 1885)
Western Aquatic Garter Snake (Sierra Garter Snake), T. couchii (Kennicott, 1859)
Black-necked Garter Snake, T. cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860)
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake, T. elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Mexican Garter Snake, T. eques (Reuss, 1834)
Mexican Wandering Garter Snake, T. errans (H. M. Smith, 1942)
Exiled Garter Snake, T. exsul Rossman 1969
Mesoamerican Highlands Garter Snake, T. fulvus (Bocourt, 1893)
Giant Garter Snake, T. gigas (Fitch, 1940)
Godman’s Garter Snake, T. godmani (Günther, 1894)
Two-striped Garter Snake, T. hammondii (Kennicott, 1860)
Checkered Garter Snake, T. marcianus (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Mexican Black-bellied Garter Snake, T. melanogaster (Peters, 1864)
Tamaulipan Montane Garter Snake, T. mendax Walker, 1955
Southern Durango Spotted Garter Snake, T. nigronuchalis Thompson, 1957
Northwestern Garter Snake, T. ordinoides (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Tepalcatepec Valley Garter Snake, T. postremus H. M. Smith, 1942
Western Ribbon Snake, T. proximus (Say, 1823)
Yellow-throated Garter Snake, T. pulchrilatus (Cope, 1885)
Plains Garter Snake, T. radix (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Rossman’s Garter Snake, T. rossmani Conant, 2000
Narrow-headed Garter Snake, T. rufipunctatus (Cope, 1875)
Eastern Ribbon Snake, T. sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Mexican Alpine Blotched Garter Snake, T. scalaris Cope, 1861
Mesa Central Blotched Garter Snake, T. scaliger (Jan, 1863)
Common Garter Snake, T. sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sumichrast’s Garter Snake, T. sumichrasti (Cope, 1866)
Mexican Pacific Lowlands Garter Snake, T. validus (Kennicott, 1860)

Lined Snakes, Tropidoclonion Cope, 1860

Lined Snake, T. lineatum (Hallowell, 1856)

Earth Snakes, Virginia Baird and Girard, 1853

Rough Earth Snake, V. striatula (Linnaeus, 1766)
Smooth Earth Snake, V. valeriae Baird and Girard, 1853

Western Earth Snake, V. v. elegans Kennicott, 1859
Mountain Earth Snake, V. v. pulchra (Richmond, 1954)
Eastern Earth Snake, V. v. valeriae Baird and Girard, 1853

Sources

Collins, J. T. and T. W. Taggart. 2002. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles and Crocodilians, 5th ed.

Gibbons, J. W. and M. E. Dorcas. 2004. North American Watersnakes: A Natural History. Norman, OK: Oklahoma University Press.

Holman, J. A. 2000. Fossil Snakes of North America: Origin, Evolution, Distribution, Paleoecology. Bloomington and Indiapolis: Indiana University Press.

Liner, E. A. 1994. Scientific and Common Names for the Amphibians and Reptiles of Mexico in English and Spanish. SSAR Herpetological Circular No. 23.

Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford and R. A. Seigel. 1996. The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology. Norman, OK: Oklahoma University Press.

SSAR Committee on Standard English and Scientific Names. 2000. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. SSAR Herpetological Circular No. 29.