Lichanura orcutti
Stejneger, 1889
LIKE-ah-NUR-ah — OR-kut-eye
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
“Northern” was added to the English name to differentiate it from the English name of the genus. The taxonomic authority was corrected by removing the parentheses.
(Boundy, Jeff, Frank T. Burbrink, and Sara Ruane. 2025. Squamata (excluding lizards) – Snakes. Pages 38-54 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.08.30.07.26.52)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.9 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for a prominent California naturalist.
Lichanura — From Greek lichanos (λιχανός), “forefinger,” and oura (οὐρά), “tail.” Possibly refers to the slender, tapering tail that resembles a finger, or to the shape of the snake’s body in general.
orcutti — A patronym honoring Charles R. Orcutt (1864–1929), an American naturalist and collector active in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, noted for contributions to herpetology and botany.
First instance(s) of published English names:
California Boa (Lichanura rosefusca: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1889
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Stejneger, Leonhard H. Description of two new species of snakes from California. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 12(766):95-99
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1891
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Stejneger, Leonhard H. On the snakes of the Californian genus Lichanura. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 14(878):511-515
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1931
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Klauber, Laurence M. A new subspecies of the California Boa, with notes on the genus Lichanura. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 6(20):305-318
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1933
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Klauber, Laurence M. Notes on Lichanura. Copeia 1933(4):214-215
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1980
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Ottley, John R., R. W. Murphy, and G. V. Smith. The taxonomic status of the rosy boa Lichanura roseofusca (Serpentes: Boidae). The Great Basin Naturalist 40(1):59-62
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1982
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Yingling, R. Peter. Lichanura, L. trivirgata. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (294):1-2
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2008
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Wood, Dustin A., Robert N. Fisher, and Tod W. Reeder. Novel patterns of historical isolation, dispersal, and secondary contact across Baja California in the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46(2):484-502
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