THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Dipsadidae  

Western Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon nasicus Baird and Girard, 1852

Current SSAR Comments:
Werler and Dixon (2000, Texas Snakes: Identification, Distribution, and Natural History. University of Texas Press, Austin) regarded H. n. gloydi to be an allopatric, diagnosable taxon restricted to the low plains – eastern forest ecotone of east Texas. Smith et al. (2003, Journal of Kansas Herpetology : 17–20) accepted previous conclusions that H. n. gloydi is a synonym of H. n. nasicus, but they were receptive to re-evaluating gloydi as a valid taxon. In this equivocal situation, we choose to retain these subspecies pending genetic evaluation of H. nasicus.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.07.24.09.15.01)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.1 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Adder (Heterdodon nasicus: Coues, Elliott. 1875. Synopsis of the reptiles and batrachians of Arizona with critical and field notes, and an extensive synonymy. Report upon Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian. Volume 5. ():585-633); Sand Viper (Heterdon simus nasicus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1875. Report upon the collections of batrachians and reptiles made in portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona during the years 1871, 1872, 1872, and 1874. Wheeler, G. M. ed., Report upon Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian in Charge of First Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Under the Direction of Brig. Gen. A. A. Humphryes, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. Volume 5 (Zoology), Part. 4. US Government, Washington, D. C. 509-584pp.); Hog-nosed Sand Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1875. Report upon the collections of batrachians and reptiles made in portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona during the years 1871, 1872, 1872, and 1874. Wheeler, G. M. ed., Report upon Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian in Charge of First Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Under the Direction of Brig. Gen. A. A. Humphryes, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. Volume 5 (Zoology), Part. 4. US Government, Washington, D. C. 509-584pp.); Sand Viper (Heterodon simus nasicus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon simus nasicus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon simus: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Western Hog-nose Snake (Heterodon simus nasicus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon simus simus: Davis, N. S., and Frank L. Rice. 1883. List of Batrachia and Reptilia of Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 1(3):25–32); Hog-nose Snake (Heterodon simus: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Sand Viper (Heterodon simus: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Western Sand Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Brown, Arthur, E. 1902. Report of the Board of Directors. Pages 5-22 in Thirtieth Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. Allen, Lane, and Scott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. pp.); Texas Rooter (Heterodon nasicus: Branson, Edwin B. 1904. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430); Spreading Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Branson, Edwin B. 1904. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430); Western Hog-nose Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Van Denburgh, John. 1922. The Reptiles of Western North America: An Account of the Species Known to Inhabit California and Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Volume I. Lizards. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. 556pp.); Western Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Western Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus nasicus: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Hog-nosed Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Western Hog-nosed Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Hog Nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Blowing Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); North American Long-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Blowing Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Common Western Hog-nosed Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Sand Viper (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Western Spreading Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Puffing Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Spreading Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Texas Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Hog-nose Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Spoonbill Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Spread Head Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Blowing Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Puff Adder (Heterodon nasicus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Western Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Western Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus nasicus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Pertinent LIterature:
1852 Baird, Spencer F. and Charles Girard. Characteristics of some new reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 6():68-70
2000 Werler, John E. and James R. Dixon. Texas Snakes: Identification, Distribution, and Natural History. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas. 544pp.
2003 Smith, Hobart M., David Chiszar, Curtis M. Eckerman, and Harlan D. Walley. The taxonomic status of the Mexican Hognose Snake Heterodon kennerlyi Kennicott (1860). Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):17-20

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:10 CT