Gyalopion canum

Last updated

Gyalopion canum
Gyalopion canum.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Gyalopion
Species:
G. canum
Binomial name
Gyalopion canum
Cope, 1860
Gyalopion canum distribution.png
Synonyms

Gyalopion canum, commonly known as the Western hooknose snake, is a species of small colubrid snake endemic to the deserts of the United States and Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake because it is commonly found in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Contents

Taxonomy

The Western hooknose snake was originally described as a species new to science in 1860 by Edward Drinker Cope, who at that time named it Gyalopion canum. However, in 1883 Samuel Garman reassigned this species to the genus Ficimia , changing its scientific name to Ficimia cana. (Because Gyalopion is neuter, and Ficimia is feminine, the ending of the specific name had to be changed from "-um " to "-a "). After slightly more than 100 years, Robert C. Stebbins in 1985 returned this species to the genus Gyalopion, as Gyalopion canum, due to distinct morphological characteristics.

Geographic range

G. canum is found in the United States, from western Texas to southeastern Arizona, and into northern and central Mexico.

Description

The Western hooknose snake is a small species, growing to 36.5 cm (14+38 in) in total length (including tail). It is gray or grayish brown in color, with 25-48 dark brown or black blotches down the back, [3] and a cream-colored underside. It has a slightly upturned snout, to which the common name, "hooknose", refers.

The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 17 rows at midbody. [4]

Behavior

G. canum is a nocturnal burrower, most often found under rocks.

Habitat

The Western hooknose snake prefers slightly sandy habitats, near a permanent water source.

Diet

The diet of G. canum consists primarily of spiders and centipedes, but it will also eat small snakes and scorpions. [4]

Reproduction

The Western hooknose snake is oviparous. Sexually mature females may lay up to 5 eggs in June. [4]

Defense

One of the primary defensive behaviors of G. canum is to make a popping noise with its cloaca, i.e., farting. According to an article in the August, 2000 issue of Discover magazine, during a laboratory experiment carried out by Bruce Young, a morphologist at Lafayette College, the snakes only farted when they felt threatened, and some farted so energetically that they lifted themselves off the ground. [5]

Speed

Gyalopion canum is quick in short bursts or spurts.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray-banded kingsnake</span> Species of snake

The gray-banded kingsnake, sometimes referred to as the alterna or the Davis Mountain king snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. Some sources list two distinct subspecies of Lampropeltis alterna, as L. a. alterna and L. a. blairi differentiated by patterning and locale, but research has shown them to be color morphs of the same species.

<i>Tropidoclonion</i> Genus of snakes

Tropidoclonion is a genus of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is monotypic, containing the sole species Tropidoclonion lineatum, commonly known as the lined snake. The species is endemic to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black swamp snake</span> Species of snake

The black swamp snake is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. There are three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-nosed snake</span> Species of snake

The long-nosed snake is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. It has two recognized subspecies. The other species in the genus were previously considered subspecies.

<i>Salvadora</i> (snake) Genus of snakes

Salvadora is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly called patchnose snakes or patch-nosed snakes, which are endemic to the western United States and Mexico. They are characterized by having a distinctive scale on the tip of the snout.

<i>Gyalopion</i> Genus of snakes

Gyalopion is a genus of small nonvenomous colubrid snakes. Species in the genus Gyalopion are commonly referred to as hooknose snakes, and are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Pecos rat snake</span> Species of snake

The Trans-Pecos rat snake or Davis Mountain rat snake, is a species of medium to large, nonvenomous rat snake in the family Colubridae. Bogertophis subocularis is endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern racer</span> Species of snake

The eastern racer or North American racer is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America and Central America. Eleven subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized, which as a group are commonly referred to as the eastern racers. The species is monotypic in the genus Coluber.

The night snake is a species of rear-fanged colubrid. It is found in Mexico.

<i>Hypsiglena jani</i> Species of snake

Hypsiglena jani, commonly known as the Texas night snake or the Chihuahuan night snake, is a small species of mildly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northeastern Mexico.

<i>Ficimia streckeri</i> Species of snake

Ficimia streckeri, also commonly known as the Mexican hooknose snake, the Tamaulipan hooknose snake, and the Texas hook-nosed snake, is a small species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to northeastern Mexico and adjacent southern Texas.

<i>Pantherophis bairdi</i> Species of snake

Pantherophis bairdi is a species of harmless snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northeastern Mexico. No subspecies are recognized as being valid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler's garter snake</span> Species of snake

Butler's garter snake is a species of garter snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-striped garter snake</span> Species of snake

The two-striped garter snake is a species of aquatic garter snake, which is endemic to western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped whipsnake</span> Species of snake

The striped whipsnake is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is closely related to the California whipsnake. The striped whipsnake is native to the western United States and adjacent northern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern garter snake</span> Species of snake

The northwestern garter snake is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern ribbon snake</span> Subspecies of snake

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 in the family Colubridae. It is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake.

<i>Thamnophis proximus</i> Species of snake

Thamnophis proximus, commonly known as the western ribbon snake, is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States, Mexico, and Central America. The species has six recognized subspecies.

<i>Senticolis</i> Genus of snakes

Senticolis is a genus of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The genus Senticolis is monotypic, containing the sole species Senticolis triaspis, also known as the green rat snake. The species is endemic to Central America, Mexico, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico.

<i>Micruroides</i> Genus of snakes

Micruroides is a genus of venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The genus is monotypic, containing only the species Micruroides euryxanthus.

References

  1. Boulenger GA (1894). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xi + 382 pp. + Plates I-XX. (Ficimia cana, p. 272).
  2. "Gyalopion canum ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN   0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Gyalopion canum, pp. 174-175).
  4. 1 2 3 Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. 533 pp. ISBN   0-395-98272-3 (paperback). (Gyalopion canum, p. 396 + Plate 47 + Map 174).
  5. Glausiuz J (August 2000). "A Pop a Day Keeps the Predators Away". Discover. http://discovermagazine.com/2000/aug/breakpop

Further reading