Lone Star Field Guide To Texas Snakes

by Tennant, Alan

• ISBN13: 9781589792098
• ISBN10: 1589792092
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-28
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Pub

Summary

The state of Texas boasts the largest number of snake species and subspecies in North America-105. This guide describes in detail each and every one of them, from the benign Texas long-nosed snake to the venomous western cottonmouth. Facts on biology and behavior are given, plus the latest findings on abundance, reproduction, prey, sizes, and habitat. In addition, introductory chapters describe the physiology and diet of snakes, and an all-important section on snake venom poisoning debunks the many myths surrounding what to do when bitten by a venomous snake. The drawings and 167 color plates are invaluable in identifying these animals. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xii
Snakes and the Law	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
The Evolution of Snakes	p. 3
Texas Snake Habitats	p. 16
Snake Venom Poisoning	p. 32
Treatment and Toxicology	p. 32
Antivenins	p. 40
Venom Potency	p. 44
Scalation	p. 46
Identification Key	p. 48
Typhlopidae	p. 57
Blind Snakes	p. 57
Brahminy Blind Snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus	p. 57
Plains Blind Snake, Leptotyphlops dulcis dulcis	p. 58
New Mexico Blind Snake, Leptotyphlops dulcis dissectus	p. 60
Trans-Pecos Blind Snake, Leptotyphlops humilis segregus	p. 61
Colubridae	p. 63
Small Burrowing Snakes	p. 63
Flat-headed Snake, Tantilla gracilis	p. 64
Plains Black-headed Snake, Tantilla nigriceps	p. 66
Southwestern Black-headed Snake, Tantilla hobartsmithi	p. 67
Mexican Black-headed Snake, Tantilla atriceps	p. 68
Black-hooded Snake, Tantilla rubra cucullata	p. 69
Texas Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi texana	p. 72
Marsh Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi limnetes	p. 73
Florida Red-bellied Snake, Storeria occipitomaculata obscura	p. 74
Rough Earth Snake, Virginia striatula	p. 76
Western Earth Snake, Virginia valeriae elegans	p. 77
Mississippi Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus stictogenys	p. 78
Prairie Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus arnyi	p. 80
Regal Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus regalis	p. 81
Ground Snake, Sonora semiannulata	p. 83
Western Worm Snake, Carphophis amoenus vermis	p. 84
Lined, Garter, and Ribbon Snakes	p. 86
Lined Snake, Tropidoclonion lineatum	p. 86
Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis	p. 88
Texas Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis annectens	p. 90
Checkered Garter Snake, Thamnophis marcianus marcianus	p. 91
Western Plains Garter Snake, Thamnophis radix haydenii	p. 92
Eastern Black-necked Garter Snake, Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus	p. 94
Western Black-necked Garter Snake, Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis	p. 95
Western Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus proximus	p. 97
Red-striped Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus	p. 98
Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus orarius	p. 100
Arid Land Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus diabolicus	p. 101
Aquatic Snakes	p. 103
Diamond-backed Water Snake, Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer	p. 104
Yellow-bellied Water Snake, Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster	p. 105
Blotched Water Snake, Nerodia erythrogaster transversa	p. 107
Broad-banded Water Snake, Nerodia fasciata confluens	p. 108
Florida Water Snake, Nerodia fasciata pictiventris	p. 110
Gulf Salt Marsh Snake, Nerodia clarkii clarkii	p. 111
Mississippi Green Water Snake, Nerodia cyclopion	p. 112
Brazos Water Snake, Nerodia harteri harteri	p. 113
Concho Water Snake, Nerodia harteri paucimaculata	p. 114
Graham's Crayfish Snake, Regina grahamii	p. 116
Gulf Crayfish Snake, Regina rigida sinicola	p. 117
Western Mud Snake, Farancia abacura reinwardtii	p. 119
Patch-nosed Snakes	p. 120
Texas Patch-nosed Snake, Salvadora grahamiae lineata	p. 121
Mountain Patch-nosed Snake, Salvadora grahamiae grahamiae	p. 122
Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake, Salvadora deserticola	p. 123
Green Snakes	p. 125
Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus	p. 125
Smooth Green Snake, Liochlorophis vernalis	p. 127
Whipsnakes, Racers, and Indigo Snakes	p. 129
Eastern Coachwhip, Masticophis flagellum flagellum	p. 130
Western Coachwhip, Masticophis flagellum testaceus	p. 131
Central Texas Whipsnake, Masticophis taeniatus girardi	p. 133
Desert Striped Whipsnake, Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus	p. 134
Schott's Whipsnake, Masticophis schotti	p. 136
Ruthven's Whipsnake, Masticophis ruthveni	p. 137
Southern Black Racer, Coluber constrictor priapus	p. 139
Buttermilk Racer, Coluber constrictor anthicus	p. 140
Tan Racer, Coluber constrictor etheridgei	p. 142
Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer, Coluber constrictor flaviventris	p. 143
Mexican Racer, Coluber constrictor oaxaca	p. 144
Central American Speckled Racer, Drymobius margaritiferus margaritiferus	p. 146
Texas Indigo Snake, Drymarchon corais erebennus	p. 148
Brown-Blotched Terrestrial Snakes	p. 151
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, Heterodon platirhinos	p. 152
Dusty Hog-nosed Snake, Heterodon nasicus gloydi	p. 154
Plains Hog-nosed Snake, Heterodon nasicus nasicus	p. 155
Mexican Hog-nosed Snake, Heterodon nasicus kennerlyi	p. 157
Western Hook-nosed Snake, Gyalopion canum	p. 159
Mexican Hook-nosed Snake, Ficimia streckeri	p. 161
Louisiana Pine Snake, Pituophis ruthveni	p. 163
Bullsnake, Pituophis catenifer sayi	p. 166
Sonoran Gopher Snake, Pituophis catenifer affinis	p. 168
Glossy Snakes	p. 169
Texas Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans arenicola	p. 170
Kansas Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans elegans	p. 171
Painted Desert Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans philipi	p. 172
Rat Snakes	p. 173
Texas Rat Snake, Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii	p. 174
Baird's Rat Snake, Elaphe bairdi	p. 176
Great Plains Rat Snake, Elaphe guttata emoryi	p. 177
Trans-Pecos Rat Snake, Bogertophis subocularis	p. 180
Large Kingsnakes	p. 185
Prairie Kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster	p. 184
Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula holbrooki	p. 185
Desert Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula splendida	p. 186
Red- and Black-Banded Milk and Kingsnakes	p. 188
Louisiana Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum amaura	p. 188
Mexican Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum annulata	p. 191
New Mexico Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum celaenops	p. 192
Central Plains Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis	p. 194
Gray-banded Kingsnake, Lampropeltis alterna	p. 195
Northern Scarlet Snake, Cemophora coccinea copei	p. 199
Texas Scarlet Snake, Cemophora coccinea lineri	p. 200
Texas Long-nosed Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus	p. 203
Mildly Venomous Rear-fanged Snakes	p. 205
Texas Night Snake, Hypsiglena torquata jani	p. 205
Black-striped Snake, Coniophanes imperialis imperialis	p. 208
Northern Cat-eyed Snake, Leptodeira septentrionalis septentrionalis	p. 210
Texas Lyre Snake, Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsonii	p. 212
Elapidae	p. 215
Coral Snakes	p. 215
Texas Coral Snake, Micrurus fulvius tener	p. 216
Viperidae	p. 220
Moccasins	p. 220
Southern Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix	p. 221
Broad-banded Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus	p. 223
Trans-Pecos Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster	p. 226
Western Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma	p. 227
Rattlesnakes	p. 230
Western Pigmy Rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarius streckeri	p. 231
Western Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus	p. 232
Desert Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii	p. 234
Canebrake Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus atricaudatus	p. 237
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox	p. 239
Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus molossus	p. 243
Prairie Rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis	p. 245
Mojave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus	p. 247
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus lepidus	p. 250
Banded Rock Rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus klauberi	p. 252
Glossary	p. 255
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