Glossy snake

Arizona elegans occidentalis

The Arizonanattern (Arizona ) is a genus of small snakes that occur in southern North America. The species containing one or two ways. Some authors the subspecies A. elegans occidentalis is considered as a separate species A. occidentalis.

Features

Arizonanattern are reddish yellow to light brown snakes with brown, black edged transverse spots on the back and two rows of small spots on the flanks. Corner of the mouth and eyes are connected by a dark temporal stripe. The belly is yellowish white monochrome. The head is elongated sold with pointed snout and hardly from the neck. The total length of moderately slender body is up to 125 centimeters.

From the genus Pituophis genus by the paired Präfrontalia and mostly smooth dorsalia is deferred. The hull has 21 to 31 oblique rows of smooth scales at its center, 185-241 Ventralschilde and 39-63 Subkaudalschilde and an undivided anal shield.

Occurrence

The distribution of Arizonanatter extends over the southern Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern California and central Mexico. The species inhabited different open habitats up to an altitude of 2200 meters.

Way of life

The species is mainly nocturnal and spends the day buried in the ground or hidden under rocks or in Kleinsäugerbauten. Especially in the eastern area of ​​distribution are Arizonanattern also occasionally encountered during the day. The winter months are spent with a four -to five- month rest period primarily in rodent burrows.

As prey animals are mainly small lizards that are captured at night during their resting phase. In particular, larger snakes also prey on small mammals, birds and snakes. When threatened Arizonanattern react with violent vibrations of the tail end, but only bite extremely rare.

The mating season is in spring, they hatch a little over two months after the filing of 3-23 oblong eggs.

System

Within the species Arizona elegans eight or nine subspecies are described:

  • A. elegans blanc hardi Klauber 1946 - 29 to 31 Dorsalschuppenreihen, long tail, with large patches, in North Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma
  • A. elegans candida Klauber, 1946 - bright base color, tight spots, often paired Präokularschilde, in Southern California
  • A. elegans eburnata Klauber, 1946 - with small, narrow spots, bright base color, in Southern California
  • A. elegans expolita Klauber, 1946 - a few spots, 27 rows of dorsal scales, a long tail, in Chihuahua, Mexico
  • A. elegans noctivaga Klauber, 1946 - short tail, large stains, 27 rows of dorsal scales in Arizona
  • A. elegans occidentalis Blanchard, 1924 - with questions, numerous back spots, less pronounced side spots, 27 rows of Dorsalschuppen and short tail; partly performed as a separate species Arizona occidentalis in California
  • A. elegans Pacata Klauber, 1946 - a few spots, 27 rows of dorsal scales, short tail, in Southern California

Swell

  • Ludwig Trutnau: Non-toxic snakes, Part 2 4th Edition. Eugen Ulmer GmbH & Co., Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3223-0.
  • Klauber, Laurence M.: The glossy snake, Arizona, with descriptions of new subspecies. In: Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 10, No. 17, 1946, pp. 311-398.
Subcaudal scales Spencer Fullerton Baird Chihuahua (state)
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