Sistrurus tergeminus

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Sistrurus tergeminus
Sistrurus catetanus tergeminus by LA Dawson.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Sistrurus
Species:
S. tergeminus
Binomial name
Sistrurus tergeminus
(Say, 1823)
Synonyms [2]
  • Crotalus tergeminus
    Say In James, 1823
  • Crotalophorus tergeminus
    Gray, 1831
  • Crotalophorus tergeminus
    Baird & Girard, 1853
  • C[rotalus]. (Crotalophorus) miliarius var. tergeminus
    Jan, 1863
  • Caudisona tergemina
    Cope, 1875
  • Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus
    Klauber, 1936

Sistrurus tergeminus, also known commonly as the western massasauga, is a species of rattlesnake native to the southwestern plains of the United States and northern Mexico. Like all rattlesnakes, it is a pit viper and is venomous.

Contents

Taxonomy

Sistrurus tergeminus was once considered a subspecies of the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus). S. tergeminus contains two subspecies: the nominate S. t. tergeminus, or plains massasauga, found in the Great Plains, and S. t. edwardsii , or desert massasauga, found in the deserts of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The latter is considered "Vulnerable" by NatureServe. [3] According to Campbell and Lamar (2004), a population also exists in southeastern Colorado that is morphologically somewhat intermediate between S. t. tergeminus and S. t. edwardsii. [4]

Description

Adults of Sistrurus tergeminus range in total length (tail included) from 35 to 91 cm (14 to 36 in). [5] The "standard" total length for 43 male and 63 female adult specimens was 68 cm (27 in). [5] Conant (1975) gives a range of total length of 46–66 cm (18–26 in), with a maximum of 88.3 cm (34+34 in). [6]

The color pattern is similar to that of S. catenatus, but paler: the dark brown blotches contrast strongly with the tan-gray or light gray ground color. The venter (belly) is light with a few dark markings. [6]

A desert massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus edwardsii) at Phoenix Zoo. Desert massasauga.jpg
A desert massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus edwardsii) at Phoenix Zoo.

Common names

Common names for Sistrurus tergeminus include western massasauga, ground rattlesnake, Gulf Coast massasauga, [5] víbora de cascabel (Mexico), Edward's massasauga, large ground rattlesnake, Say's false rattlesnake, Sonora ground rattlesnake, Texas massasauga, three-spotted shield rattler, triple-spotted rattlesnake, [5] and prairie massasauga.

Geographic distribution

In the United States, Sistrurus tergeminus is found in the southwestern plains from southeastern Colorado to extreme southeastern Nebraska and northwestern Missouri, southwest through east-central Kansas and west-central Oklahoma into northern and central Texas about as far southwest as the Colorado River. [7] [4] It is also found in Mexico, in the states of Tamaulipas, southern Nuevo León, north-central Coahuila, and Samalayuca, Chihuahua. [8] The type locality given is "between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains". [2]

Behavior

Sistrurus tergeminus is primarily found in grassland areas, on the edge of open woodland, or on rocky hillsides, and often makes use of the burrows of other animals for shelter. It primarily eats rodents, but may also eat lizards and frogs, having for the purpose a set of enlarged adrenal glands. Its rattle is significantly higher pitched than those of larger species of rattlesnakes, sometimes giving it the nickname "buzztail", and as such should not be relied upon for warning. Primarily nocturnal, the species is considered mild-mannered and sluggish especially during the summer, when the weather is too hot for it to be active and it is sometimes found basking. Though it is most often found by water or immediately after rain, it prefers arid or heavily-covered ground. [9]

Venom

The venom of Sistrurus tergeminus is potent like that of larger species of rattlesnakes, but due to the lower yield (the amount it is capable of delivering in a single bite), its potential for harm is greatly reduced. The venom is a powerful hemotoxin which can cause swelling, necrosis, and severe pain. Despite its smaller size and less severe bite, envenomation can still be fatal if untreated, and treatment should be sought immediately for any venomous snake bite. The antivenin CroFab, while not type-specific, can be used to treat severe envenomations from massasaugas.

References

  1. "Sistrurus tergeminus. NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré TA (1999). Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, Volume 1. Washington, District of Columbia: Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN   1-893777-00-6 (series), ISBN   1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  4. 1 2 Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 870 pp., 1,500 plates. ISBN   0-8014-4141-2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 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. (7th printing, 1985). 1,105 pp. (in two volumes). ISBN   0-8014-0463-0. (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus, pp. 1048–1051, Figure 301).
  6. 1 2 Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. (First Edition published in 1958). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp., 48 plates. ISBN   0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN   0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus, pp. 231–232 + Plate 35 + Map 176).
  7. Klauber LM (1997). Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. (Second Edition, previously published in 1956, 1972). Berkeley: University of California Press. 1,476 pp. (in two volumes). ISBN   0-520-21056-5.
  8. Report on Samalayuca Fauna. Reporte de Fauna de la Region de Samalayuca UACJ Archived 2006-12-01 at the Wayback Machine . (in Spanish).
  9. Shaw, Charles E.; Campbell, Sheldon (1974). Snakes of The American West. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN   978-0-394-48882-0. 328 pp.

Further reading