Chihuahuan Black-headed Snake
Tantilla wilcoxi
Stejneger, 1902
tan-TILL-ah — WIL-kohs-eye
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Date of publication corrected by Crombie (1994, Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service (101): 1–40).
(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: 2023.04.10.13.42.11)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.31 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Arizona
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named in honor of a southwestern naturalist.
Tantilla — A diminutive form of Tantillus, itself likely derived from Latin tantus, meaning “so small” or “so little.” The name refers to the small size of these snakes.
wilcoxi — A patronym honoring Timothy E. Wilcox (1840-1932), a US Army surgeon, naturalist, and collector active in the American Southwest in the early 20th century, associated with the collection of the type specimen.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Arizona Tantilla (Tantilla wilcoxi: 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.); Huachuca Black-headed Snake (Tantilla wilcoxi: 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.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1903
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Stejneger, Leonhard H. The reptiles of the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 25(1282):149-158
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1938
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Blanchard, Frank N. Snakes of the genus Tantilla in the United States. Zoological Series of the Field Museum of Natural History 20(28):369-376
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1982
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Wilson, Larry David. Tantilla. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (307):1-4
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1983
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Liner, Ernest A. Tantilla wilcoxi. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (345):1-2
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1994
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Crombie, Ronald I. Herpetological publications of the National Museum of Natural History (USNM). 1853-1994. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service (101):40
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