THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part-snakes)    Natricidae  

Short-headed Gartersnake
Thamnophis brachystoma (Cope, 1892)
THAM-noh-fiss — BRACK-ee-STOH-muh

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: 2023.04.10.13.42.10)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.12 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: New York Ohio Pennsylvania

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its proportionally short head.
Thamnophis — From Greek thamnos (θάμνος), “bush” or “shrub,” and ophis (ὄφις), “snake.” The name means “bush-snake” or “shrub-snake,” likely referring to the habitats where these snakes are commonly found.
brachystoma — From Greek brachys (βραχύς), “short,” and stoma (στόμα), “mouth.” Literally means “short-mouthed,” referring to the snake’s small, blunt head and short snout.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Short-headed Garter Snake (Thamnophis brachystoma: 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

Selected References:
1892 Cope, Edward D. A new species of Eutaenia from western Pennsylvania. American Naturalist 26:964-965
1908 Ruthven, Alexander G. Variations and genetic relationships of the garter-snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (61):1-201
1976 Bothner, Richard C. Thamnophis brachystoma. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (190):1-2
1994 De Queiroz, Alan and Robin Lawson. Phylogenetic relationships of the garter snakes based on DNA sequence and allozyme variation. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 53:209-229
2002 de Queiroz, Alan, Robin Lawson, and Julio A. Lemos-Espinal. Phylogenetic relationships of North American garter snakes (Thamnophis) based on four mitochondrial genes: How much DNA sequence is enough?. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22(2):315-329

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 16:56 CT