Masticophis is a genus of colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as whip snakes or coachwhips, which are endemic to the Americas.[1] They are characterized by having a long, thin body and are not dangerous to humans.

Masticophis
Masticophis flagellum testaceus, western coachwhip, juvenile
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Genus: Masticophis
Baird & Girard, 1853
Species

Ten, see text.

Synonyms

Bascanion, Bascanium, Coryphodon, Herpetodryas

Distribution and habitat

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Species of Masticophis are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.[1]

Description

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Adults of species in the genus Masticophis may attain a total length (including tail) from 152 cm (5 ft) for M. lateralis to 259 cm (8.5 ft) for M. flagellum. A distinctive character of this genus is the shape of the frontal scale (the large scale in the center of the upper surface of the head) which is bell-shaped and elongated. At the rear of the body, the dorsal scales are arranged in only 13 rows.[2]

Species and subspecies

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The genus Masticophis contains eleven species that are recognized as being valid, five of which have recognized subspecies.[3]

 
Masticophis schotti schotti, Schott's whip snake

Nota bene: A binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Masticophis.

References

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  1. ^ a b Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Genus Masticophis, pp. 177-178).
  2. ^ Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Genus Masticophis, pp. 190-193).
  3. ^ Genus Masticophis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

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  • Baird SF, Girard C (1853). Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part I.—Serpents. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution. xvi + 172 pp. (Masticophis, new genus, p. 98).
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