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Eastern Massasauga
Sistrurus catenatus (Rafinesque, 1818)

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: 2023.04.10.13.21.20)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.22 MB

Province/State Distribution:
Canada: Ontario
USA: Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Missouri New York Ohio Pennsylvania Wisconsin

First instance(s) of published English names:
Chained Rattlesnake (Crotalinus catenatus: Rafinesque, Constantine S. 1818. Further account of discoveries in natural history, in the western states. The American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review 4():39-42); Massasauga Rattlesnake (Crotalus kirtlandi: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Massasauga (Crotalus kirtlandi: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Massasauga (Crotalophorus tergeminus: Baird, Spencer F. 1854. Serpents of New-York; With a Notice of a Species not Hitherto Included in the Fauna of the State. C. Van Benthuysen, Albany, New York. pp.); Massasauga (Caudisona tergemina: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. 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. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Prairie Rattlesnake (Caudisona tergemina: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. 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. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus: 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.); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus: 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.); Massauga Rattlesnake (Crotalophorus catenatus: 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); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus: Stejneger, Leonhard H. 1895. The poisonous snakes of North America. Annual Report of the United States National Museum 1893(2):337-487); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Stejneger, Leonhard H. and Thomas Barbour. 1917. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp.); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus: 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.); Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: 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.); Triple Spotted Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Kirtland's Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Black Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Black Snapper (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Dwarf Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Prairie Rattler (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Great Adder (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Massauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Prairie Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); The Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Little Black Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Sauger (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Small Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); The Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Swamp Rattler (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Swamp Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Black Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186);

Taxon Links:

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

Selected References:
1818 Rafinesque, Constantine S. Further account of discoveries in natural history, in the western states. The American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review 4:39-42
1892 Garman, Samuel. Sistrurus and Crotalophorus. Science 19(485):290
1940 Gloyd, Howard K. The rattlesnakes, genera Sistrurus and Crotalus. Chicago Academy of Sciences Special Publication 4(1):1-266
1948 Evans, P. D. and Howard K. Gloyd. The subspecies of the Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus, in Missouri. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 8:225-232
1972 Baker, Robert J., George A. Mengden, and James J. Bull. Karyotypic studies of thirty-eight species of North American snakes . Copeia 1972(2):257-265
1978 Reinert, Howard K. The ecology and morphological variation of the Massasauga Rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus. Thesis. Pennsylvania State University, Clarion, Pennsylvania. 173pp.
1983 Minton, Sherman A., Jr.. Sistrurus catenatus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (332):1-2
1991 Thireau, Michel. Types and historically important specimens of rattlesnakes in the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle (Paris). Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service (87):1-10
1993 Beltz, Ellin. Distribution and status of the Eastern Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus catenatus (Rafinesque, 1818), in the United States and Canada. Pages 26-31 in Metro Toronto Zoo, West Hill, Ontario, Canada. pp.
2008 Holycross, Andrew T., T. G. Anton, Michael E. Douglas, and Darrel R. Frost. The type localities of Sistrurus catenatus and Crotalus viridis (Serpentes: Viperidae), with the unraveling of a most unfortunate tangle of names. Copeia 2008:421-424
2011 Chiucchi, James Ernest, Jr. Genetic Diversity, Inbreeding and Diet Variation in an Endangered Rattlesnake, the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus c. catenatus). Dissertation. Ohio State University, Columbus. 165pp.
2011 Kubatko, Laura S., H. Lisle Gibbs, and Erik W. Bloomquist. Inferring species-level phylogenies and taxonomic distinctiveness using multilocus data in Sistrurus rattlesnakes. Systematic Biology 60(4):393-409
2011 Crother, Brian I., Jay M. Savage, and Andrew T. Holycross. Crotalinus catenatus Rafinesque, 1818 (currently Sistrurus catenatus) and Crotalus tergeminus Say in James, 1822 (currently Sistrurus tergeminus; Reptilia, Serpentes): Proposed conservation of usage by designation of neotypes for both species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 68(4):271-274
2013 Ray, Jesse W., Richard B. King, Melvin R. Duvall, Jace W. Robinson, Collin P. Jaeger, Michael J. Dreslik, Bradley J. Swanson, Diane Mulkerin. Genetic analysis and captive breeding program design for the Eastern Massasauga Sistrurus catenatus catenatus. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 4(1):104-113
2014 Jaeger, Collin P., Richard B. King, and Melvin R. Duvall. Initial characterization of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIB exon 2 in and endangered rattlesnake, the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus). The Journal of North American Herpetology 2014(1):98-104
2015 Ryberg, Wade A., Johanna A. Harvey, Anna Blick, Toby J. Hibbitts, and Gary Voelker. Genetic structure is inconsistent with subspecies designations in the Western Massasauga Sistrurus tergeminus. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 6(2):1-10
2024 Myers, Edward A., Rhett M. Rautsaw, Miguel Borja, Jason Jones, Christoph I. Grünwald, Matthew L. Holding, Felipe Grazziotin, and Christopher L. Parkinson. Phylogenomic discordance is driven by wide-spread introgression and incomplete lineage sorting during rapid species diversification within rattlesnakes (Viperidae: Crotalus and Sistrurus) Systematic Biology syae018:

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Saturday 26 April 2025 23:00 CT