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Crotalus lepidus klauberi



Crotalus lepidus klauberi

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Subfamily: Crotalinae
Genus: Crotalus
Species: C. lepidus
Subspecies: C. l. klauberi
Trinomial name
Crotalus lepidus klauberi
Gloyd, 1936
Synonyms
  • Crotalus lepidus klauberi - Gloyd, 1936[1]
Common names: banded rock rattlesnake,[2] green rattlesnake, green rock rattlesnake,[3] more.

Crotalus lepidus klauberi is a venomous pitviper subspecies[4] found in the southern United States, in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and into adjacent regions of northern Mexico. The epithet klauberi is in honor of the herpetologist, and rattlesnake expert Laurence M. Klauber.

Contents

Description

These are small snakes, rarely growing beyond 24 inches in length. They are typically a light grey in color, with darker grey banding. The characters used to distinguish the various subspecies of Rock Rattlesnake have been a point of contention for many years. Various sources have used scale counts, number of bands, the stripe along the eye region, and the amount of mottling between bands as methods of distinguishing one subspecies from another. Unfortunately, in every case, research has shown that there are exceptions. The generally accepted method of determining a Banded Rock Rattlesnake from a Mottled Rock Rattlesnake, is the lack of mottling between the distinct darker bands, though that is not an entirely reliable method. It is not known whether subspecies intergrade in the areas where their ranges overlap.

Common names

Banded rock rattlesnake,[2] blue rattlesnake, green rattlesnake, green rock rattlesnake, rock rattlesnake.[3]

Behavior

These are nocturnal, secretive snakes. They spend most of their time hiding in rock crevices. Often found in canyons, scree slopes, or man-made road cuts. Research has shown that Rock Rattlesnakes do not typically travel far, and often spend their entire lives on one particular slope or ridge. Their diet consists of primarily lizards and rodents. They are quite a shy species, often not even rattling if approached, instead relying on their camouflage to blend into the rocky habitat. Rock Rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous. Mating occurs in the summer months, the females over-winter gravid, and 2-8 young are born in the spring.

See also

References

  1. ^ McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  2. ^ a b Behler JL, King FW. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. LCCCN 79-2217. ISBN 0-394-50824-6.
  3. ^ a b Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.
  4. ^ Crotalus lepidus klauberi (TSN 209521). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 16 May 2007.

Further reading

  • Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. 2 volumes. Reprint, University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-21056-5.
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Crotalus_lepidus_klauberi". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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