- Brazos Water Snake
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Brazos water snake Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Subfamily: Natricinae Genus: Nerodia Species: N. harteri Binomial name Nerodia harteri
Trapido, 1941Synonyms Natrix harteri
Trapido, 1941The Brazos water snake or Harter's water snake (Nerodia harteri) is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake native to the United States. It is found only in north-central Texas along the Brazos River system. Due to its limited range, it is considered to be a threatened species in the State of Texas. The epithet harteri is in honor of Philip Harter, who collected the first specimen in Palo Pinto County in 1936.[1]
Description
The Brazos water snake grows from 16 to 32 inches (41-81 cm), and ranges in color from brown to olive green. It has two rows of spots that go down either side of its back, and has a pink or orange underside with dark spots down either side.
References
- ^ A New Species of Natrix from Texas, American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 25, No. 4, May 1941, pp 373 - 389
External links
- Species Nerodia harteri at The Reptile Database
- Herps of Texas: Nerodia harteri
- Biographies of People Honored in the Herpetological Nomenclature of North America
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