The forest sharp-tailed snake (''Contia longicaudae'') is a

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 snake in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Colubridae 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 ev ...

. The species is

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 western coast of the United States.

Geographic range

''C. longicaudae'' is found in northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

Distribution and habitat

The forest sharp-tailed snake is not as widespread as its relative ''

Contia tenuis The sharp-tailed snake or sharptail snake (''Contia tenuis'') is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the Western United States and British Columbia. Common names Additional common names for ''C. tenuis'' ...

'' (the sharp-tailed snake). The forest sharp-tailed snake is found in shaded wet forests along the western coast of the United States. The forest sharp tailed snake went unnoticed for a long time due to its vast similarities to ''Contia tenuis'' and because of the secretive nature of both species of sharp-tailed snakes, and also of their seasonally limited amount of activity.

Identification

The easiest way to set the two species apart is by looking at the tail length and the

subcaudal scales In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (pair ...

. The forest sharp-tailed snake has a longer tail than ''

'' and more subcaudal scales. Specifically, the forest sharp-tailed snake has 43 to 58 subcaudal scales, whereas ''

'' has 24 to 42.

References

External links

*"''Contia logicaudae'' ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1082669#null. Contia Reptiles described in 2010 Reptiles of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States {{Colubrids-stub