Western Patch-nosed Snake
Salvadora hexalepis
(Cope, 1866)
sal-VOH-doh-rah — HEX-ah-lep-iss
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.02.19.09.47.44)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.23 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its scalation pattern.
Salvadora — Named in honor of José Salvado, a Spanish naturalist—or possibly derived from salvator, Latin for “savior.” The original author (Baird & Girard, 1853) did not specify the origin clearly, but the name was likely a personal tribute.
hexalepis — From Greek hex (ἕξ), “six,” and lepis (λεπίς), “scale.” Likely refers to the arrangement of six distinct upper labial or dorsal head scales distinguishing the species from close relatives.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Graham's Snake (Phimothyra gahami: 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); Graham's Arizona Snake (Phimothyra grahami hexalepis: 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); Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salavadora hexalepis: 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.); Big-bend Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis deserticola: 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.); Desert Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis: 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.); Pacific Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis virgultea: 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 Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Desert Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Pacific Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis virgultea: 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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1866
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Cope, Edward D. Fourth contribution to the herpetology of tropical America. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 18:123–132
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1945
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Bogert, Charles M. Two additional races of the patch-nosed snake, Salvadora hexalepis . American Museum Novitates (1285):1-14
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2016
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Myers, Edward A., Michael J. Hickerson, and Frank T. Burbrink. Asynchronous diversification of snakes in the North American warm deserts. Journal of Biogeography 44(2):1-14
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2017
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Bezy, Robert L., Philip C. Rosen, Thomas R. Van Devender, and Erik F. Enderson. Southern distributional limits of the Sonoran Desert herpetofauna
along the mainland coast of northwestern Mexico Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(1):138-167
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