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Western Massasauga
Sistrurus tergeminus (Say, in James, 1822)

Current SSAR Comments:
Date of publication is corrected to 1822 based on Woodman (2010, Archives of Natural History 37: 28–38).

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.06.27.14.51.03)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.06 MB

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); 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.); 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.); Sonora Ground Rattlesnake (Caudisona edwardsi: 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); Black Rattlesnake (Caudisona tergemina: 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); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus: Garman, Samuel. 1887. Reptiles and batrachians from Texas and Mexico. Bulletin of the Essex Institute 19():119-138); Guilf-coast Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Stejneger, Leonhard. 1895. The poisonous snakes of North America. Annual Report of the United States National Museum 1893(2):337-487); Edwards' Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii: Stejneger, Leonhard. 1895. The poisonous snakes of North America. Annual Report of the United States National Museum 1893(2):337-487); Prairie Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus: Branson, Edwin B. 1904. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430); Edward's Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii: 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.); Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus: Taylor, Edward H. 1929. A revised checklist of the snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(5):53-62); Western Massasagua (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: 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.); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Large Ground Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Sonora Ground Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Gulf Coast Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Texas Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus consors: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Edward's Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Western Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Prairie Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Three Spotted Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Western Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Large Ground Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Say's False Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus: 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

Pertinent LIterature:
1822 James, Edwin. Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and ‘20, by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Sec’y of War: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party. Compiled by Edwin James, botanist and geologist for the expedition. In two vols. – with an atlas. [Volume 1]. Henry Charles Carey and Isaac Lea, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 503pp.
1823 James, Edwin. Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819, 1820. By order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under the command of Maj. S. H. Long, of the United States Top. Engineers. Compiled from the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the party by Edwin James, botanist and geologist to the expedition. In three volumes. [Volume 2]. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, London, England. 356pp.
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
2010 Woodman, Neal. History and dating of the publication of the Philadelphia (1822) and London (1823) editions of Edwin James' Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains. Archives of Natural History 37(1):28-38
2012 Crother, Brian I., Jay M. Savage, and Andrew T. Holycross. Comment on the proposed conservation of Crotalinus catenatus Rafinesque, 1818 (currently Sistrurus catenatus) and Crotalus tergeminus (currently Sistrurus tergeminus; Reptilia, Serpentes) by designation of neotypes for both species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 69(1):1-2
2013 ICZN, Opinion 2328. OPINION 2328 (Case 3571) Crotalinus catenatus Rafinesque, 1818 (currently Sistrurus catenatus) and Crotalus tergeminus Say in James, 1822 (currently Sistrurus tergeminus; Reptilia, Serpentes): Usage conserved by designation of neotypes for both species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 70(4):282-283

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