''Masticophis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. (paperback). (Genus ''Masticophis'', pp. 177-178). They are characterized by having a long, thin body and are not dangerous to humans.

Geographic range

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of ''Masticophis'' are found in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

Description

Adults of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

in the genus ''Masticophis'' may attain a total length (including tail) from 152 cm (5 ft) for ''M. lateralis'' to 259 cm (8.5 ft) for ''M. flagellum''. A distinctive character of this genus is the shape of the

frontal scale Frontal scale refers to the scales of a reptile which lie in the general region of the forehead of a snake, more specifically between the eyes and to the anterior of this area. These are analogous to the ''frontal bone'' on a human which correspo ...

(the large scale in the center of the upper surface of the head) which is bell-shaped and elongated. At the rear of the body, the

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...

are arranged in only 13 rows.

Species and subspecies

The genus ''Masticophis'' contains eleven species that are recognized as being valid, five of which have recognized subspecies. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Masticophis anthonyi ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – Clarion Island whip snake *''

Masticophis aurigulus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – Baja California striped whip snake *''

Masticophis barbouri ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – Baja California striped whip snake, Espiritu Santo striped whip snake *''

Masticophis bilineatus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – Sonoran whip snake *''

Masticophis flagellum ''Masticophis flagellum'' is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake, commonly referred to as the coachwhip or the whip snake, which is endemic to the United States and Mexico. Six subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecie ...

'' – coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum cingulum ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – Sonoran coachwhip **'' Masticophis flagellum flagellum'' – eastern coachwhip **'' Masticophis flagellum lineatulus'' – lined coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum piceus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – red coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum ruddocki ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – San Joaquin coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum testaceus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Editio ...

'' – western coachwhip *''

Masticophis fuliginosus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – Baja California coachwhip *''

Masticophis lateralis The California whipsnake (''Masticophis lateralis''), also known as the striped racer, is a colubrid snake found in habitats of the coast, desert, and foothills of California. Description ''Masticophis lateralis'' is in total length (includin ...

'' – California whipsnake **''

Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus The Alameda whipsnake (''Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus''), also known as the Alameda striped racer, is a threatened species of colubrid snake distinguishable by its broad head, large eyes, black and orange coloring with a yellow stripe down e ...

'' – Alameda striped racer **''

Masticophis lateralis lateralis ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' – California striped racer Masticophis schotti

*''

Masticophis mentovarius ''Masticophis mentovarius'', the neotropical whip snake, is a species of snake found in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, i ...

'' – neotropical whip snake **''

Masticophis mentovarius centralis ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' **''

Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' **''

Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' **''

Masticophis mentovarius striolatus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' **''

Masticophis mentovarius variolosus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' *'' Masticophis schotti'' – Schott's whip snake **'' Masticophis schotti ruthveni'' – Ruthven's whip snake **''

Masticophis schotti schotti ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' – Schott's whip snake *''

Masticophis slevini ''Masticophis slevini'', the Isla San Esteban whip snake, is a species of snake found on San Esteban Island in Mexico. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q69712286 Masticophis Reptiles described in 1955 Endemic reptiles of Mexico ...

'' – Isla San Esteban whipsnake, San Esteban Island whipsnake *''

Masticophis taeniatus The striped whipsnake (''Masticophis taeniatus'') is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is closely related to the California whipsnake ('' Masticophis lateralis''). The striped whipsnake is native to the western United St ...

'' – striped whip snake **''

Masticophis taeniatus girardi ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edi ...

'' – Central Texas whip snake **''

Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus ''Masticophis'' is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas. Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition ...

'' – desert striped whip snake ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Masticophis''.

References

External links

https://serpientesdevenezuela.org/masticophis-mentovarius/
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2578729 Colubrids Snake genera Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard

Geographic range

Description

Species and subspecies

References

Further reading

External links