North American Natricine Species
Note: Species endemic to Central America but not Mexico, if any, are not included; I haven’t yet found a source that lists them.
Living Species
Mountain Meadow Snakes
Adelophis Dugès, 1879
- Cope’s Mountain Meadow Snake
A. copei Dugès, 1879 - Fox’s Mountain Meadow Snake
A. foxi Rossman and Blaney, 1968
Kirtland’s Snake
Clonophis Cope, 1889
- Kirtland’s Snake
C. kirtlandii (Kennicott, 1856)
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) - Brazos River Water Snake
N. harteri (Trapido, 1941) - Concho Water Snake
N. paucimaculata (Tinkle and Conant, 1961) - 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 - 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 - Florida Brown Snake
S. d. victa Hay, 1892 - 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
Garter Snakes
Thamnophis Fitzinger, 1843
- Santa Cruz (Pacific Coast Aquatic) Garter Snake
T. atratus (Kennicott, 1860) - Santa Cruz Garter Snake
T. a. atratus (Kennicott, 1860) - Oregon Garter Snake
T. a. hydrophilus Fitch, 1936 - Diablo (Broad-striped) Garter Snake
T. a. zaxanthus Boundy, 1999 - Bogert’s Garter Snake
T. bogerti Rossman and Burbrink, 2005 - Short-headed Garter Snake
T. brachystoma (Cope, 1892) - Butler’s Garter Snake
T. butleri (Cope, 1889) - Golden-headed Garter Snake
T. chrysocephalus (Cope, 1885) - Conant’s Garter Snake
T. conanti Rossman and Burbrink, 2005 - Western Aquatic (Sierra) Garter Snake
T. couchii (Kennicott, 1859) - Black-necked Garter Snake
T. cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) - Tropical Black-necked Garter Snake
T. c. collaris (Jan, 1863) - Western Black-necked Garter Snake
T. c. cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) - Eastern Black-necked Garter Snake
T. c. ocellatus (Cope, 1880) - Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
T. elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Arizona Garter Snake
T. e. arizonae Tanner and Lowe, 1989 - Mountain Garter Snake
T. e. elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853) - San Pedro Mártir Garter Snake
T. e. hueyi (Van Denburgh and Slevin, 1923) - Coast Garter Snake
T. e. terrestris Fox, 1951 - Wandering Garter Snake
T. e. vagrans (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Upper Basin Garter Snake
T. e. vascotanneri Tanner and Lowe, 1989 - Mexican Garter Snake
T. eques (Reuss, 1834) - Southern Mexican Garter Snake
T. e. eques (Reuss, 1834) - Northern Mexican Garter Snake
T. e. megalops (Kennicott, 1860) - Blue-striped Mexican Garter Snake
T. e. virgatenuis Conant, 1963 - 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) - Liner’s Garter Snake
T. lineri Rossman and Burbrink, 2005 - Checkered Garter Snake
T. marcianus (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Nicaraguan Checkered Garter Snake
T. m. bovallii Dunn, 1940 - Northern Checkered Garter Snake
T. m. marcianus (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Yucatan Checkered Garter Snake
T. m. praeocularis (Bocourt, 1892) - Mexican Black-bellied Garter Snake
T. melanogaster (Peters, 1864) - Gray Black-bellied Garter Snake
T. m. canescens H. M. Smith, 1942 - Chihuahuan Black-bellied Garter Snake
T. m. chihuahuaensis Tanner, 1959 - Lined Black-bellied Garter Snake
T. m. linearis H. M. Smith, Nixon and P. W. Smith, 1950 - Mexican Black-bellied Garter Snake
T. m. 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) - Chiapas Highland Ribbon Snake
T. p. alpinus Rossman, 1963 - Arid Land Ribbon Snake
T. p. diabolicus Rossman, 1963 - Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake
T. p. orarius Rossman, 1963 - Western Ribbon Snake
T. p. proximus (Say, 1823) - Red-striped Ribbon Snake
T. p. rubrilineatus Rossman, 1963 - Mexican Ribbon Snake
T. p. rutiloris (Cope, 1885) - 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) - Blue-striped Ribbon Snake
T. s. nitae Rossman, 1963 - Peninsular Ribbon Snake
T. s. sackenii (Kennicott, 1859) - Eastern Ribbon Snake
T. s. sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766) - Northern Ribbon Snake
T. s. septentrionalis Rossman, 1963 - 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) - Texas Garter Snake
T. s. annectens Brown, 1950 - Red-spotted Garter Snake
T. s. concinnus (Hallowell, 1852) - New Mexico Garter Snake
T. s. dorsalis (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Valley Garter Snake
T. s. fitchi Fox, 1951 - California Red-sided Garter Snake
T. s. infernalis (Blainville, 1835) - Maritime Garter Snake
T. s. pallidulus Allen, 1899 - Red-sided Garter Snake
T. s. parietalis (Say, 1823) - Puget Sound Garter Snake
T. s. pickeringii (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Chicago Garter Snake
T. s. semifasciatus Cope, 1892 - Blue-striped Garter Snake
T. s. similis Rossman, 1965 - Eastern Garter Snake
T. s. sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) - San Francisco Garter Snake
T. s. tetrataenia (Cope, 1875) - Sumichrast’s Garter Snake
T. sumichrasti (Cope, 1866) - Mexican Pacific Lowlands Garter Snake
T. validus (Kennicott, 1860) - Cape Garter Snake
T. v. celaeno (Kennicott, 1860) - Colima Garter Snake
T. v. isabelleae (Conant, 1953) - Tepic Garter Snake
T. v. thamnophisoides (Conant, 1961) - Pacific Garter Snake
T. v. validus (Kennicott, 1860)
Lined Snakes
Tropidoclonion Cope, 1860
- Lined Snake
T. lineatum (Hallowell, 1856)
Earth Snakes
Virginia Baird and Girard, 1853
- Mountain Earth Snake
V. pulchra (Richmond, 1954) - Rough Earth Snake
V. striatula (Linnaeus, 1766) - Smooth Earth Snake
V. valeriae Baird and Girard, 1853 - Western Earth Snake
V. v. elegans Kennicott, 1859 - Eastern Earth Snake
V. v. valeriae Baird and Girard, 1853
Extinct Prehistoric Species
- Neonatrix elongata Holman, 1973
(Miocene epoch, Nebraska and South Dakota) - Neonatrix infera Holman, 1996
(Miocene epoch, Texas) - Neonatrix magna Holman, 1982
(Miocene epoch, Nebraska) - Nerodia hibbardi Holman, 1968
(Pliocene epoch, Idaho) - Nerodia hillmani Wilson, 1968
(Pliocene epoch, Kansas) - Regina intermedia Meyland, 1982
(Pleistocene epoch, Florida)
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.
A Gathering of Garter Snakes
Snakes of the United States and Canada: Natural History and Care in Captivity