The southern ribbon snake ''(Thamnophis saurita sackenii''), also known
commonly as the peninsula ribbon snake and the Florida ribbon snake, is a
subspecies of
garter snake
Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the su ...
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 ...
. It is one of four subspecies of the
ribbon snake Ribbon snake may refer to:
* ''Thamnophis saurita'', also known as the eastern or common ribbon snake
* ''Thamnophis proximus
''Thamnophis proximus'', commonly known as the western ribbon snake, is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Na ...
(''Thamnophis saurita'').
Etymology
The
subspecific name
In zoological nomenclature, a subspecific name is the third part of a trinomen. In zoology there is only one rank below that of species, namely " subspecies".
In botanical nomenclature, there are several levels of subspecific names, such as ''v ...
, ''sackenii'', is in honor of Russian entomologist
Carl Robert Romanovich von der Osten-Sacken Carl may refer to:
*Carl, Georgia, city in USA
*Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
* Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
*Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of te ...
.
Geographic range
The southern ribbon snake occurs in the
southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern po ...
in extreme southern
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = G ...
, southeastern
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
, and peninsular
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
, at elevations from sea level to .
[ Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 color plates, 207 Figures. . (''Thamnophis sauritus sackenii'', p. 431 + Plate 43).]
Description
''T. saurita sackenii'' is smaller than the other three other subspecies of ''T. saurita''. Adults of ''T. s. sackenii'' are in total length (including tail). The
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal co ...
color is greenish olive, or blackish in old specimens. It has a dorsal stripe that is vetiver green or light olive-gray bordered on either side with black, and the lateral stripes are marguerite yellow.
[
]
Habitat and behavior
The southern ribbon snake is found in marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
es, lakes, pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or Artificiality, artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% Aquatic plant, emergent vegetation helps in disting ...
s, and shores of streams. It is semi-aquatic and semi-arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose num ...
with wet meadows and thicket a favorite habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
.[Western Connecticut State University, Herpetology, Ribbon snake]
Reproduction
''T. s. sackenii'' is ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...
.[ Litter size is small, numbering only 5-12 newborns.][
]
References
Further reading
* Behler JL, King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. . (''Thamnophis sauritus sackeni'', p. 673).
* Conant R (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Thamnophis sauritus sackeni'', pp. 164–165 + Plate 23).
* Kennicott R (1859). "Notes on ''Coluber calligaster'' of Say, and a description of new species of Serpents in the collection of the North Western University of Evanston, Ill." ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 11: 98-100. (''Eutænia sackenii'', new species, p. 98).
* Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp., 34 plates, 103 figures. (''Thamnophis sauritus sackeni'', pp. 255–256).
* Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Thamnophis sauritus sackeni'', p. 144).
* Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes). (''Thamnophis sauritus sackeni'', pp. 831–834, Figure 241 + Map 59 on p. 767).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5416803
Snake, Northern Ribbon
Snake, Southern Ribbon