THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Natricidae  

Southern Watersnake
Nerodia fasciata (Linnaeus, 1766)

Current SSAR Comments:
Rautsaw et al. (2021, Molecular Biology and Evolution 38: 745–760) examined lineage structure between Florida populations/subspecies. While showing that N. f. fasciatus and N. f. pictiventris can be detected using genomic data, the authors also demonstrated significant gene flow among these lineages. The authors suggest that these subspecies may result from isolation by distance, thus questioning if they should continue to be recognized.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.02.03.15.04.08)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.01 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Wampum Snake (Coluber fasciatus: Forster, John R. 1771. A systematic catalogue of all the known plants of English North-America or, a flora Americae Septentrionalis. Pages in From Forster's translation of Bossu, Travels through that part of North America formerly called Louisiana, Vol. 1. T. Davies, London, England. pp.); Wampum-snake (Coluber fasciatus: Barton, Benjamin S. 1793. An account of the most effectual means of preventing the deleterious consequences of the bite of the Crotalus horridus, or Rattle-Snake. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 3():100-115); Wampum Snake (Coluber fasciatus: Morse, Jedidiah. 1794. The American Geography of, a view of the Present Situation of the United State of America. John Stockdale, Piccadilly, London. pp.); Banded Water Snake (Tropidonotus fasciatus: 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); Fasciated Water Snake (Tropidonotus fasciatus: 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); Spotted Water Snake (Natrix sipedon: Rhoads, Samuel N. 1895. Contributions to the zoology of Tennessee. No. 1, Reptiles and amphibians. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 47():376-407); Banded Water Snake (Natrix fasciata fasciata: Beyer, George. 1900. Louisana herpetology. Proceedings of the Louisiana Society of Naturalists 1897-1899():24-46); Banded Water Snake (Tropidonotus sipedon fasciatus: 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.); Water Moccasin (Natrix fasciata: Branson, Edwin B. 1904. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430); Water Snake (Natrix fasciata: Branson, Edwin B. 1904. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430); Southern Water Snake (Natrix fasciata: Hurter, Julius. 1911. Herpetology of Missouri. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 20(5):59-274); Banded Water Snake (Natrix fasciata: Hurter, Julius. 1911. Herpetology of Missouri. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 20(5):59-274); Mocassin (Natrix fasciata: Hurter, Julius. 1911. Herpetology of Missouri. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 20(5):59-274); Southern Water Snake (Natrix fasciata fasciata: Brimley, Clement S. 1915. List of reptiles and amphibians of North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 30(4):195-206); Mississippi River Water Snake (Natrix sipedon confluens: 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.); Southern Banded Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: 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.); Florida Water Snake (Natrix sipedon pictiventris: 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.); Black Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Adder (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Fasciated Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Couch's Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Southern Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Adder (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Southern Banded Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Moccasin Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Viper (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Brown Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Moccasin (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Common Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Red-bellied Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Southeastern Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Moccasin (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); North American Moccasin Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Moccasin (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); North American Moccasin Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Brown Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Oblique-banded Water Snake (Natrix sipedon confluens: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Mississippi River Water Snake (Natrix sipedon confluens: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Carteret Water Snake (Natrix sipedon engelsi: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Banded Water Snake (Natrix sipedon fasciata: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Florida Water Snake (Natrix sipedon pictiventris: 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:
1766 Linné, Carl von (=Linneaus). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species with characters, differences, synonyms, places. Volume I.] Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Holmiae, Editio duodecima, reformata (12th Edition). 1-532pp.
2021 Rautsaw, Rhett M., Tristan D. Schramer, Rachel Acuña, Lindsay N. Arick, Mark DiMeo, Kathryn P. Mercier, Michael Schrum, Andrew J. Mason, Mark J. Margres,, Jason L. Strickland, and Christopher L. Parkinson. Genomic adaptations to salinity resist gene flow in the evolution of Floridian Watersnakes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 38(3):745–760

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:34 CT