Drymarchon
| Drymarchon | |
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| Drymarchon couperi, eastern indigo snake | |
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Drymarchon
Fitzinger, 1843
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| Species and subspecies | |
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D. caudomaculatus |
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Coluber, Compsosoma, Georgia, Spilotes [1] |
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Drymarchon is a genus of large nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly known as indigo snakes, endemic to the Southeastern United States, Central America, and South America. Three to four species are currently recognized.[2]
Contents
Description
Indigo snakes are large, robust snakes which can reach a length of over 3 m (9.8 ft). They have smooth dorsal scales with several color variations, including a glossy blue-black color.
Behavior and diet
Indigo snakes are diurnal and actively forage for prey. They feed on a broad variety of small animals such as rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, toads, and other snakes, including rattlesnakes. They are not aggressive snakes and will only bite when threatened. Typical threat display includes hissing and shaking of its tail as a warning.
Species
The genus Drymarchon was formerly considered to be a monotypic taxon formed by subspecies of D. corais. Currently the genus includes three distinct species recognized by ITIS:[2]
- Indigo snake — Drymarchon corais (F. Boie, 1827)
- Eastern indigo snake — Drymarchon couperi (Holbrook, 1842)[3]
- Middle American indigo snake — Drymarchon melanurus (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854)
- Texas indigo snake — Drymarchon melanurus erebennus (Cope, 1860)[4]
- Mexican red-tailed indigo snake — Drymarchon melanurus rubidus H.M. Smith, 1941
A fourth species, found in Venezuela, has been proposed by Wüster, Yrausquin, and Mijares-Urrutia:[5][6]
- Falcon indigo snake — Drymarchon caudomaculatus Wüster, Yrausquin & Mijares-Urrutia, 2001
References
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- Fitzinger, L. 1843. Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Braumüller & Seidel. Vienna. 106 pp. (Drymarchon, p. 26.)
External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Drymarchon |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- The Indigo Snake Systematics Page: A New Species of Indigo Snake (Drymarchon) from Venezuela, and a Reclassification of the Genus.
- "Black Snakes": Identification and Ecology - University of Florida fact sheet
- ↑ Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Drymarchon, p. 200.)
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- ↑ Genus Drymarchon at The Reptile Database
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