| Pituophis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pacific gopher snake Pituophis catenifer catenifer | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Tribe: | Lampropeltini |
| Genus: | Pituophis Holbrook, 1842 |
| Synonyms | |
Churchilla, Elaphis, Epiglottophis, Pityophis, Rhinechis Contents | |
Pituophis is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes, which are endemic to North America.
Species and subspecies within the genus Pituophis are found throughout Mexico, the Southern and Western United States and Western Canada. [1]
All species of Pituophis are large and powerfully built. The head is relatively small in proportion to the body and it is only slightly distinct from the neck. The rostral is enlarged and elongated, imparting a characteristic somewhat pointed shape to the head. All the species occurring in the United States have four prefrontals instead of the usual two. [1]
In all snakes of the genus Pituophis, the epiglottis is peculiarly modified so that it is thin, erect and flexible. When a stream of air is forced from the trachea, the epiglottis vibrates, thereby producing the peculiarly loud, hoarse hissing for which bullsnakes, gopher snakes and pine snakes are well known. [2]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Subspecies | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Pituophis catenifer (Blainville, 1835) | gopher snake |
| North America |
 | Pituophis deppei (A.M.C. Duméril, 1853) | Mexican bullsnake |
| central, Mexico |
| Pituophis insularis Klauber, 1946 | Credos Island gopher snake | Isla de Credos, Mexico | ||
 | Pituophis lineaticollis (Cope, 1861) | Middle American gopher snake |
| From Mexico city, south through Mexico and to Guatemala |
 | Pituophis melanoleucus (Daudin, 1803) | pine snake | southeastern United States | |
 | Pituophis ruthveni Stull, 1929 | Louisiana pine snake | west-central Louisiana and East Texas | |
 | Pituophis vertebralis (Blainville, 1835) | Cape gopher snake | southern Baja California Sur, Mexico. | |
Kingsnakes are colubrid New World members of the genus Lampropeltis, which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet.
Garter snake is the common name for 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 in all of the lower 48 United States, and nearly all of the Canadian provinces south of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut—with the exception of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. They are found from the subarctic plains of west-central Canada east through Ontario and Quebec; from the Maritime Provinces and south to Florida, across the southern and central U.S. into the arid regions of the southwest and México, Guatemala and south to the neotropics and Costa Rica.
Pituophis catenifer is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to North America. Nine subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies, Pituophis catenifer catenifer, described here. This snake is often mistaken for the prairie rattlesnake, but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its tail and by the shape of its head, which is narrower than a rattlesnake's.
Pantherophis is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes endemic to central and eastern regions of North America. It consists of the North American ratsnakes, the foxsnakes, and the cornsnakes. The genus, which contains 10 recognized species, first appeared in the fossil record in the Middle Miocene around 16.3 million years ago. They are a large terrestrial snake genus that lack subocular scales. Originally classified in the genus Elaphe, phylogenetic studies have found this taxon to be closely related to Pituophis. As with all snakes Pantherophis is an obligate faunivore with a diet that consists of small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and even insects. While many species conservation status is categorized as "least concern", many local populations in some species have declined where some places have them listed as federally protected. The corn snake is a popular pet reptile, due to the availability of captive-bred animals, their low maintenance and calm disposition, and the variety of color morphs. There are other species of Pantherophis that are in the pet trade, though are not as popular as the corn snake.
Pituophis catenifer affinis, commonly known as the Sonoran gopher snake, is a nonvenomous subspecies of colubrid snake that is endemic to the southwestern United States. It is one of six recognized subspecies of the gopher snake, Pituophis catenifer.
The Florida cottonmouth is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in southern Georgia and the Florida peninsula in nearly every type of wetlands in the region, including brackish water and offshore islands. However, it is not entirely dependent on water and is occasionally encountered as far as a mile from surface water. Agkistrodon conanti venom is very hemolytic and known to cause relatively extensive necrosis compared to many snake venoms, and can sometimes be lethal with a 17% mortality rate. It is often confused with harmless watersnakes (Nerodia) and other semi-aquatic species with which it shares its habitat.
Pituophis melanoleucus, commonly known as the eastern pine snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. Three subspecies are currently recognized as being valid.
The Louisiana pine snake is a species of large, non-venomous, constrictor in the family Colubridae. This powerful snake is notable because of its large eggs and small clutch sizes. The Louisiana pine snake is indigenous to west-central Louisiana and East Texas, where it relies strongly on Baird's pocket gophers for its burrow system and as a food source. The Louisiana pine snake is rarely seen in the wild, and is considered to be one of the rarest snakes in North America. The demise of the species is due to its low fecundity coupled with the extensive loss of suitable habitat - the longleaf pine savannas in the Gulf coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Management activities are being conducted to promote the species' recovery.
The Pacific gopher snake is a subspecies of large non-venomous colubrid snake native to the western coast of North America.
Olive Griffith Stull (Davis) (February 10, 1905 – June 15, 1969) was an American herpetologist.
Pituophis catenifer deserticola, commonly known by its standardized English name since the 1950s, the Great Basin gophersnake, is a subspecies of nonvenomous colubrid snake ranging in parts of western United States and adjacent southwestern Canada.
The bullsnake is a large, nonvenomous, colubrid snake. It is a subspecies of the gopher snake. The bullsnake is one of the largest/longest snakes of North America and the United States, reaching lengths up to 8 ft.
Wyoming is home to 12 amphibian species and 22 species of reptiles.
Lampropeltini is a tribe of colubrid snake endemic to New World. These include the kingsnakes, milk snake, corn snake, gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes. At least 51 species have been recognized and the group have been heavily studied for biogeography, morphology, ecology, and phylogenetics. The internal relationships among the genera has been disputed, but generally the most supported placement of the genera are as follows:
Pituophis deppei, commonly known as the Mexican bullsnake and the Mexican pine snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.
Pituophis lineaticollis, commonly known as the Middle American gopher snake or cincuate bull snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in Guatemala and Mexico in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero, Querétaro, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
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