CHECKLIST OF THE SNAKES OF MEXICO 37 



Genus COLUBER Linnaeus 



Coluber LiNNAExrs, Systema uaturae, ed. 10. vol. 1, 1758, p. 216.— Oetenbxjegeb, 

 Mem. Univ. Michigan Mus., vol. 1, 1928, pp. 174-234, figs. 34-64, pis. 27-36, 

 (generic revision). — Stuart, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan No. 284, 

 1934, pp. 2-4 (remarks on status of genus). — Smith, Copeia, 1942, No. 2, 

 p. 87. — Ingeb and Clark, Coi)eia, 1943, No. 3, pp. 141-145. 



Bascanion Baird and Gieard, Catalogue of North American reptiles, 1853, p. 93. 



Genotype. — Coluber constrictor Linnaeus. 



Range. — United States and southern British Columbia southward 

 into extreme northern Mexico ; Oaxaca and Colima ; northern China, 

 Mongolia, Korea. 



Species. — Three species are known, two of these occurring in Mexico. 

 One species {constrictor) includes six subspecies, only one of which 

 is known to enter Mexico in the north. The other species are mono- 

 typic. One occurs in Asia only. 



KEY TO MEXICAN FORMS OF COLUBER 



1. Scale rows 15 throughout body, or less " oaxaca 



Scale rows 17-15 constrictor stejnegerianus 



COLUBER CONSTRICTOR STEJNEGERIANUS (Cope) 



ZamenU stejnegeriunus Cope, Amer. Nat., vol. 29, 1895, p. 678; Ann, Rep. U .S. 



Nat. Mus., 1898 (1900), pp. 797-798, fig. 172. 

 Coluber constrictor stejnegerianus Muiaik and Mitlaik, Copeia, 1942, pp. 13-15. 

 Zamenis conirostris Cope, Amer. Nat., vol. 29, 1895, p. 679 (type locality, Mata- 



moros, Tamaulipas; type, U. S. N. M. No. 1768) ; Ann. Rep. U. S. Nat. Mus., 



1898 (1900), pp. 798-799, fig. 173. 



Type.—U. S. N. M. No. 17065. 

 Type locality. — Cameron County, Tex. 



Range. — Extreme southern Texas and northern Tamaulipas (known 

 in Mexico only from Matamoros, Tamaulipas). 



COLUBER OAXACA Jan 



Coluber oaxaca Jan, Elenco sistematico degli Ofidi, 1863, p. 63. — Ortenbubgee, 

 Mem. Univ. Michigan Mus., vol. 1, 1928, pp. 227-234. 



Type. — Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris. 

 Type locality. — "Mexico," Oaxaca implied. 



Range. — Coastal areas near the Pacific Ocean from Oaxaca to Colima 

 (the only authentic record is from Colima, Colim^^ and perhaps 



"The scale rows of this species are possibly 15-15 normally; the specimen reported by 

 Dunn (Copeia, 1934, p. 214) from Colima, which we have seen (M.C.Z. No. 37155), does 

 reduce the scale rows to 11 posteriorly as described, but a short distance in front of the 

 anus (about 23 ram.) the paravertebral and third rows, which were dropped anterior to this 

 point, are restored in full size and form, bringing the scale row count to 15 at the extreme 

 posterior part of the body. This Is an unusual condition, and we infer that the dropping 

 of the scale rows, not the restoration of them at the anus, is abnormal. 



