Redstripe ribbon snake

Redstripe ribbon snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thamnophis
Species: T. proximus
Subspecies: T. p. rubrilineatus
Trinomial name
Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus
Rossman, 1963

The redstripe ribbon snake (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus) is a subspecies of the western ribbon snake, a garter snake endemic to the southern United States.

Geographic range

It is found in West Texas on the Edwards Plateau.[1]

Description

This species has a distinctive red stripe down the center of the back, to which both the common name and the subspecific name refer.

Habitat and behavior

It is semiaquatic, spending most of its time on the edge of permanent bodies of water in swamps, ponds, lakes, or slow-moving streams. It is fast-moving, and an excellent swimmer.

Diet

Its primary diet is amphibians, such as the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans), but it will also consume lizards, and small rodents.

References

  1. Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, p. 166, Plate 23, Map 120.)

Further reading


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