Virginia valeriae

Taxobox
name = Smooth Earth Snake
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Serpentes
familia = Colubridae
genus = "Virginia"
species = "V. valeriae"
binomial = "Virginia valeriae"
binomial_authority = Baird & Girard, 1853
synonyms = "Carphophis harperti"
Duméril, Bibron, & Duméril, 1854
"Virginia elegans"
Kennicott, 1859
"Haldea valeriae"
Campbell, 1962

The Smooth Earth Snake ("Virginia valeriae") is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake native to the eastern half of the United States, from Texas and Iowa to Pennsylvania and Florida. It is a small, fossorial species which spends most of its time buried in loose soil or leaf litter, and eats primarily earthworms and other soft-bodied arthropods. The epithet "valeriae" is in honor of Valeria Biddle Blaney, cousin of Spencer Fullerton Baird, who collected the first specimen in Kent County, Maryland.This snake is non aggressive and will not bite you if you attempt to pick him/her up. ^{[http://ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx.html]}

Subspecies

Some sources list two subspecies of "Virginia valeriae":
*Western Earth Snake, "Virginia valeriae elegans" (Kennicott, 1859)
*Eastern Earth Snake, "Virginia valeriae valeriae" (Baird & Girard, 1853)

References

*EMBL species|genus=Virginia|species=valeriae