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Coluber constrictor etheridgei, commonly known as the tan racer, is a subspecies of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae, a subspecies of the eastern racer (Coluber constrictor). The subspecies is native to the southern United States.
| Coluber constrictor etheridgei | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Coluber |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. c. etheridgei
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Coluber constrictor etheridgei Wilson, 1970
| |
Geographic range
editC. c. etheridgei is found in west-central Louisiana and adjacent eastern Texas.[1]
Etymology
editThe subspecific name or epithet, etheridgei, is in honor of the American herpetologist Richard Emmett Etheridge.[2]
Description
editThe tan racer, as its name implies, is typically a solid tan in color.[3] Juveniles have a pattern of dark brown dorsal blotches,[3] which fade to solid tan at about a year of age.[citation needed] The underside is typically gray or white, sometimes with yellow spotting.[citation needed] It typically grows from .75 – 1.5 m (30 to 60 inches) in total length (including tail).[citation needed] It has large eyes, with round pupils, and excellent vision.[citation needed]
Behavior
editLike all racers, the tan racer is diurnal and highly active.[citation needed] Its diet consists of a wide variety of prey, but primarily includes rodents, and lizards.[citation needed] It is fast moving, and generally seeks to use its speed to escape if approached.[citation needed]
Habitat
editThe tan racer prefers habitats of pine flatwoods.[citation needed]
Reproduction
editC. c. etheridgei is oviparous.[1] Mating occurs in the spring, and a clutch of approximately 30 eggs is laid typically in the month of May, to hatch mid summer.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Species Coluber constrictor at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Coluber constrictor etheridgei, p. 86).
- ^ a b Powell et al. (2016).
Further reading
edit- Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Coluber constrictor etheridgei, p. 597).
- Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Coluber constrictor etheridgei, pp. 369–370).
- 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. (Coluber constrictor etheridgei, p. 190).
- Wilson LD (1970). "The racer Coluber constrictor (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Louisiana and eastern Texas". Texas Journal of Science 22 (1): 67–85. (Coluber constrictor etheridgei, new subspecies).
External links
edit
- Species Coluber constrictor at The Reptile Database
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