Crotalus mitchellii stephensi
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Crotalus stephensi is a venomous pitviper species[3] found in central and southern Nevada and adjacent California.[4] Common names include panamint rattlesnake, panamint rattler, Owens Valley rattler, and tiger rattlesnake (not to be confused with C. tigris).[5]
Contents
Etymology
The specific name, stephensi, is in honor of Frank Stephens, curator emeritus of the San Diego Society of Natural History.[6]
Description
Adults are 58 to 132 cm (23 to 52 in) long, with an average of 60 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in).[7]
According to Klauber (1936), this species is characterized by the absence of the vertical light line on the posterior edge of the prenasal and first supralabial scales. The supraocular scales are pitted, sutured, or with the outer edges broken.[5]
The color pattern consists of a straw, tan, buff, brown, or gray ground color, overlaid with a series of buff, gray, brown, or deep red-brown blotches. Often, gray suffusions occur on the sides of the body and head, and a scattering of black-tipped scales occur on the back, especially at the edges of the blotches.[5]
Geographic range
This species is found in desert-mountain areas of the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada from Mono County, California, east to Nye County, Nevada, south through southwestern Nevada, southeast to Clark County, Nevada, and southwest to central San Bernardino County, California at 900 to 2,400 m (3,000 to 7,900 ft) altitude.[5]
Feeding
The diet consists of small mammals, lizards, and birds.[7]
Reproduction
These snakes are ovoviviparous and the young are born in July and August. Neonates are about 25 cm in length.[7]
See also
- List of crotaline species and subspecies
- Crotalus by common name
- Crotalus by taxonomic synonyms
- Crotalinae by common name
- Crotalinae by taxonomic synonyms
- Snakebite
References
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca and London. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.
- ↑ Beltz, Ellin. 2006. Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America – Explained. http://ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx.html#S
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Crotalus mitchellii stephensi at Californiaherps.com. Accessed 5 November 2006.
Further reading
- Klauber, L.M. 1930. New and renamed subspecies of Crotalus confluentus Say, with remarks on related species. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 6 (3): 95-144. (Crotalus confluentus stephensi)
- Klauber, L.M. 1936. Crotalus mitchellii, the speckled rattlesnake. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 8 (19): 149-184. (Crotalus mitchellii stephensi)
External links
- Crotalus stephensi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.
