''Masticophis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from , 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest fossil species of the family date back to the Late Eocene epoch, with earlier origins suspected. Colu ...

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

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

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. 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.

Distribution and habitat

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''Masticophis'' are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

Description

Adults of

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 scale of a reptile which lies on the top of the head in the region between the eyes. This is analogous to the frontal bone of a human which corresponds to the forehead. Snake scales adjacent to the frontal and to its ...

(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 In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Masticophis anthonyi'' – Clarion Island whip snake *''

Masticophis aurigulus ''Masticophis aurigulus'', the Baja California striped whip snake, is a species of snake found in Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and bord ...

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

Masticophis bilineatus ''Masticophis bilineatus'', the Sonoran whip snake, is a species of snake found in the United States and Mexico. References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5091422 Masticophis Reptiles described in 1863 Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States ...

'' – Sonoran whip snake *''

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

'' – coachwhip **''Masticophis flagellum cingulum'' – Sonoran coachwhip **''

Masticophis flagellum flagellum ''Masticophis flagellum flagellum'', commonly known as the Eastern coachwhip, is a subspecies of '' M. flagellum'', a nonvenomous, colubrid snake, endemic to the southern United States. Distribution The subspecies ranges from North Carolina ...

'' – eastern coachwhip **''Masticophis flagellum lineatulus'' – lined coachwhip **''Masticophis flagellum piceus'' – red coachwhip **''Masticophis flagellum ruddocki'' – San Joaquin coachwhip **''Masticophis flagellum testaceus'' – western coachwhip *'' Masticophis fuliginosus'' – Baja California coachwhip *'' Masticophis lateralis'' – California whipsnake **''

Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus The Alameda whipsnake (''Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus''), also known as the Alameda striped racer, is a federally threatened subspecies of California whipsnake (''M. lateralis''). It is a colubrid snake distinguishable by its broad head, l ...

'' – Alameda striped racer **''Masticophis lateralis lateralis'' – 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, and Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic ...

'' – neotropical whip snake **''Masticophis mentovarius centralis'' **''Masticophis mentovarius mentovarius'' **''Masticophis mentovarius suborbitalis'' **''Masticophis mentovarius striolatus'' **''Masticophis mentovarius variolosus'' *'' Masticophis schotti'' – Schott's whip snake **''Masticophis schotti ruthveni'' – Ruthven's whip snake **''Masticophis schotti schotti'' – Schott's whip snake *'' Masticophis slevini'' – Isla San Esteban whipsnake, San Esteban Island whipsnake *'' Masticophis taeniatus'' – striped whip snake **''Masticophis taeniatus girardi'' – Central Texas whip snake **''Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus'' – desert striped whip snake ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

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/
{{Authority control Masticophis Snake genera Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard

Distribution and habitat

Description

Species and subspecies

References

Further reading

External links