Middle American Indigo Snake

Middle American Indigo Snake
Drymarchon melanurus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Colubrinae
Genus:	Drymarchon
Species:	D. melanurus
Binomial name
Drymarchon melanurus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854
Subspecies
D. m. erebennus (Cope, 1860)
Synonyms
Spilotes melanurus Spilotes corais melanurus Drymarchon corais melanurus Drymarchon corais melanurus

The Middle American indigo snake (Drymarchon melanurus), also known as Blacktail Cribo, is a large, non-venomous, colubrid snake species found in the south-west of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the northern part South America. It has one recognized subspecies, D. m. erebennus commonly known as the Texas Indigo Snake.^[2]

Description

This is a large species that can grow to lengths from 1.80 m (6 ft) to over 2.40 m (8 ft). This species has predominantly olive-brown glossy scales evolving to black at the tail. The underside is a lighter olive-yellow, olive-tan color. D. melanurus has distinctive dark markings round the eyes, a vertical dark slash just behind the jaw. and a heavy diagonal dark slash on both sides of the neck.^[3] The subspecies D. m. erebennus is predominantly solid black, though there can be lighter shaded variations.

Range and habitat

Its range extends from southern Texas southwards through the Gulf Coast of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala and Belize. On the Pacific coast its range extends from Sinaloa in Mexico, southward to Guatemala, as far as Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.^{[3] [1]} Its elevational distribution goes from near sea level up to around 1,900 m asl (6,230 feet).^[1] The subspecies D. m. erebennus is found in southern Texas and southwards into Mexico as far as Veracruz.

Subspecies

There are two recognized subspecies, including the nominal subspecies:^[2]

• D. m. erebennus (Cope, 1860)
• D. m. melanurus (Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril, 1854)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Drymarchon melanurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2007. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/63774. Retrieved 8 February 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Drymarchon melanurus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=683032. Retrieved 2011-02-06. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Wüster, Wolfgang; José Luís Yrausquin and Abraham Mijares-Urrutia (2001). "A new species of indigo snake from north-western Venezuela (Serpentes: Colubridae: Drymarchon)". Herpetological Journal 11: 157–165. http://biology.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/Publications/Drymarchon.pdf.