Virginia (snake)

Virginia
	Virginia striatula, rough earth snake
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Natricinae
Genus:	Virginia; Baird & Girard, 1853
Synonyms
	Amphiardis; Calamaria; Celuta; Coluber; Conocephalus; Falconeria; Haldea; Natrix; Potamophis;

Virginia is a genus of small, terrestrial, colubrid snakes, native to the United States. They are commonly referred to as earth snakes.

Species

Virginia striatula (Linnaeus, 1766) - rough earth snake (now placed by many into the genus Haldea)
Virginia valeriae Baird & Girard, 1853 - smooth earth snake

Geographic range

Virginia striatula - southeastern United States, from Oklahoma and Texas to North Carolina and Florida.
Virginia valeriae - eastern half of the United States, from Iowa and Texas to Pennsylvania and Florida.

Ranges overlap; it is unknown if hybridization occurs.

Description

Virginia species are small snakes, rarely exceeding 10 inches (25 cm) in total length (including tail). They are normally a uniform brown color, with a lighter colored underside. Differentiating species can be difficult, but V. valeriae has smooth scales, whereas V. striatula has keeled scales.

Habitat

Virginia species are fossorial, spending the vast majority of their time buried in loose soil, under rotting logs, or in leaf litter.

Diet

They eat earthworms and soft bodied arthropods. They themselves are a food source for other species of snake, like the coral snake.

References

^ Boulenger, G.A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.- XX. (Virginia, pp. 288-289.)
^ Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Genus Haldea, p. 286.)

External links

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[1] Boulenger, G.A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.- XX. (Virginia, pp. 288-289.)

[2] Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Genus Haldea, p. 286.)

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