33. PITUOPHIS 



1 59. Pituophis catenifer heermanni (Hallowell) 



Valley Gopher-Snake 



Plate 75 



Pityophis Heermanni Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol 



VI, 1853, p. 236 (type locality, Cosumnes River, California) 

 Pityophis vertebralis Hallowell, Rep. Pacific R. R. Surv., Vol. X 



1853, Pt. IV, p. 14. 

 ? Pituophis Wilkesii Lord, Naturalist Vancouver Island, Vol. II, 1866, 



p. 307 (part). 

 Pi;yophis sayi bellona Yarrow, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 24, 1883 



p. 106 (part); Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 10, 1887 



P- 239 (.^). 

 ? Pityophis catenifer Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. 10, 1887 



P- 239. 

 Pituophis catenifer Van Denburgh, Occas. Papers Cal. Acad. Sci., V 



1897, p. 195 (part). 

 Pityophis catenifer catenifer Brown, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1901 



p. S3 (part). 

 Pituophis catenifer catenifer Grinnell & Camp, Univ. Cal. Publ. Zool 



Vol. 17, No. 10, 1917, p. 193 (part); Van Denburgh & Slevin 



Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, Vo!. IX, 1919, p. 211 (part); Dice, 



Univ. Cal. Pubis. Zool., Vol. 16, No. 17, 1916, pp. 303, 307, 308 



310 (?). 

 Pituophis catenifer heermanni Van Denburgh, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., 



Ser. 4, Vol. X, No. i, 1920, p. 16, pi. i, fig. 2. 

 Pituophis catenifer deserticola Blanchard, Copeia, 1921, No. 90, p. 5. 



Description. — Head somewhat flat-topped, with snout 

 projecting and rather narrow. Temporal regions not swol- 

 len. Rostral plate very large, prominent, not very narrow, 

 often recurved between internasals on top of snout; bounded 

 behind by intemasal, anterior nasal, and first labial plates. 

 Plates on top of head are a pair of internasals, a variable 

 number of prefrontals (normally four), a frontal, supraocu- 

 lar of each side, and a pair of parietals. Anterior and post- 

 erior nasals usually distinct. Loreal usually elongate. Pre- 

 oculars usually two, occasionally one. Postoculars normally 



