Blackbelly garter snake explained

The blackbelly garter snake (Thamnophis melanogaster) is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is found in Mexico.

Authority

First described as Tropidonotus melanogaster by Peters in 1864, this species is now recognized as Thamnophis melanogaster.^[1]

Geographic range

It is found on the Central Mexican Plateau at elevations between 1,158 and 2,545 m above sea level.^[2]

Description

The dorsal color of these snakes may be brown, olive green, gray, red, orange, or pink. Ventral colors include the same as the dorsal, with the addition of yellow. Dorsal patterns may include stripes and there is typically a black stripe running down the center of the belly,^[3] which explains both the common and scientific names for this species. There is little or no difference in size between the sexes of Blackbelly garter snakes.

Habitat

This is a terrestrial species that occurs in temperate habitats. Although it lives on land, it has not been found more than 15 m from a body of water.^[4]

Reproduction

Blackbelly garter snakes are ovoviviparous.^[5]

Diet

These snakes feed exclusively under water and they are the only known Thamnophis to prey on soft-bodied crayfish. They have a highly variable diet that also includes fish, frogs, tadpoles, leeches, and earthworms. Good underwater vision and chemical cues help the snakes find and capture their prey.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are known:

• gray blackbelly garter snake, T. m. canescens Smith, 1942
• Chihuahuan blackbelly garter snake, T. m. chihuahuaensis Tanner, 1959
• lined blackbelly garter snake, T. m. linearis Smith, Nixon & Smith, 1950
• Mexican blackbelly garter snake, T. m. melanogaster (Wiegmann, 1830)

Etymology

The specific name melanogaster is composed of two Greek words, melanos, which means black and gaster, which means belly.^[6]

Bibliography

• Manjarrez Javier, Macias Garcia Constantino, Drummond Hugh . 2013 . Variation in the Diet of the Mexican Black-bellied Gartersnake Thamnophis melanogaster: Importance of Prey Availability and Snake Body Size . . 47 . 3. 413–420 . 10.1670/12-174 . 85626973 .
• Gregory T. G., Gregory L. A., Macartney J. M. . 1983 . Color pattern variation in Thamnophis melanogaster . . 1983 . 2. 530–534 . 10.2307/1444403 . 1444403 .
• Peters, W. 1864. Über einige neue Säugethiere (Mormops, Macrotus, Vesperus, Molossus, Capromys), Amphibien (Plathydactylus, Otocryptis, Euprepes, Ungalia, Dromicus, Tropidonotus, Xenodon, Hylodes), und Fische Sillago, Sebastes, Channa, Myctophum, Carassius, Barbus, Mber. k. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin [1864]: 381–399.
• Wiegmann, A. F. A. 1830. Preisverzeichnis der Säugethiere, Vögel, Amphibien, Fische und Krebse, welche von Hrn Deppe und Schiede in Mexico gesammelt worden. Berlin, 1.Sept. 1930.

External links

• • IUCN Range Map
• photos of Blackbelly garter snake
• iNaturalist Blackbelly Garter Snake page

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mexican Blackbelly Water Snake. Encyclopedia of Life. 12 October 2013.
2. Manjarrez, Javier . Constantino Macias Garcia . Hugh Drummond . Variation in the Diet of the Mexican Black-bellied Gartersnake Thamnophis melanogaster: Importance of Prey Availability and Snake Body Size. Journal of Herpetology. 2013. 47. 3. 413–420. 10.1670/12-174. 85626973 .
3. Gregory, Patrick T. . Gregory, Linda A. . Macartney, J. Malcom . Color-pattern variation in Thamnophis melanogaster. Copeia. 1983. 2. 2 . 530–534 . 10.2307/1444403 . 1444403 .
4. Macias Garcia, Constantino . Drummond, Hugh . Population Differences in Fish-capturing Ability of the Mexican Aquatic Garter Snake (Thamnophis melanogaster). Journal of Herpetology. 1990. 24. 4. 412–416. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 10.2307/1565061. 1565061 .
5. Web site: Uetz, Peter . Jakob Hallermann . Thamnophis melanogaster. The Reptile Database. 12 October 2013.
6. Book: Gotch, A. F.. Latin Names Explained: A Guide to the Scientific Classification of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. 1995. Facts On File. 0816033773. 93, 142.