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Crotalus lepidus

(Kennicott, 1861)

Rock Rattlesnake

G5Secure Found in 11 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104993
Element CodeARADE02050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyViperidae
GenusCrotalus
Concept Reference
Pyron, R. A., F. T. Burbrink, and J. J. Wiens. 2013. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 29:131.
Taxonomic Comments
The traditional view of rattlesnake taxonomy that recognizes the two monophyletic sister genera Crotalus and Sistrurus (e.g. Brattstrom 1964) has recently been challenged. Stille (1987) and McCranie (1988) presented data that suggested Sistrurus is not monophyletic and rendered Crotalus paraphyletic. Parkinson (1999) found Sistrurus monophyletic but its position rendered Crotalus paraphyletic. Knight et al. (1993) used mtDNA to defend the traditional generic taxonomy, but in order to do so ignored the most parsimonious tree. The genus Crotalus is monophyletic when including the Mexican C. ravus (Murphy et al. 2002), and is supported as such in most recent phylogenies, as well as being the sister taxon to a monophyletic Sistrurus (e.g., Pyron et al. 2013) (Crother 2017).

See Campbell et al. (1989) for record of apparent natural hybridization with C. willardi in southwestern New Mexico.
Conservation Status
Review Date2006-08-28
Change Date1996-10-31
Edition Date2006-08-28
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
Range encompasses southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, southwestern Texas, eastern Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, eastern Sinaloa, Zacatecas, eastern Nayarit, northern Jalisco, Aguascalientes, western San Luis Potosi, western Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and southwestern Tamaulipas (Armstrong and Murphy 1979, Degenhardt et al. 1996, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003, Campbell and Lamar 2004). Elevational range extends from about 300 meters to 2,930 meters (1,000-9,600 feet) (Stebbins 2003).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations). On a range-wide scale, Campbell and Lamar (2004) mapped about 200 collection sites. Degenhardt et al. (1996) mapped about 50 collection sites in New Mexico. In Arizona, the species is known from more than 40 localities (Johnson and Mills, cited by Ernst 1992).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. In Arizona, this species is largely unthreatened; minor or local threats include mining, grazing, road building, collecting, and recreational and urban development; in some cases mining can be favorable by creating suitable habitat conditions (Johnson and Mills, cited by Ernst 1992).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This snake occurs mainly in rocky mountainous areas, including talus slopes, gorges, rimrock, limestone outcrops, and rocky streambeds, often in arid or semiarid areas vegetated with pine-oak, oak-juniper, pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, or agave-shrub; it also inhabits mesquite grasslands and rocky desert flats and canyons, as well as mixed boreal-tropical forest and tropical deciduous forest in Mexico (Armstrong and Murphy 1979, Degenhardt et al. 1996, Werler and Dixon 2000, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003). In forests it tends to occupy open sunny areas (Campbell and Lamar 2004). It is a terrestrial species that may sometimes climb into low vegetation (Rossi and Feldner, 1993, Herpetol. Rev. 24:35). It takes refuge under or among rocks, in animal burrows, or in or under stumps or similar refuges.

Reproduction

Gives birth to litter of 1-8 young (mean around 4), mainly in July-August, in U.S. and adjacent northern Mexico. In Texas, neonates appeared as early as 15 July (Beaupre 1995). Litter size is 3-11 (mean 6) in Mexico (Fitch 1985). In Texas, litter size was 2-5, mean 3.6 (n=10); 27-29% of females were gravid each year; one female produced young in three consecutive years (Beaupre 1995). Females sexually mature at a total length of about 40 cm (Ernst 1992).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralDesertBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS3Yes
New MexicoS4Yes
TexasS5Yes
Roadless Areas (11)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
New Mexico (9)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Eagle PeakGila National Forest34,016
Little Dog And Pup CanyonsLincoln National Forest25,412
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
References (28)
  1. Armstrong, B. L., and J. B. Murphy. 1979. The natural history of Mexican rattlesnakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Special Publication. No. 5. vii + 88 pp.
  2. Beaupre, S. J. 1995. Comparative ecology of the mottled rock rattlesnake, <i>Crotalus lepidus</i>, in Big Bend National Park. Herpetologica 51:45-56.
  3. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  4. Brattstrom, B. H. 1964. Evolution of the pit vipers. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 13(11):185-268.
  5. Campbell, et al. 1989. An apparent natural hybrid rattlesnake and <i>Crotalus willardi</i> (Viperidae) from the Peloncillo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico. Herpetologica 45:344-349.
  6. Campbell, J. A., and E. D. Brodie, Jr., editors. 1992. Biology of the pit vipers. Selva, Tyler, Texas.
  7. Campbell, J. A., and W. W. Lamar. 1989. The venomous reptiles of Latin America. Comstock Publ. Associates, Division of Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York. xii + 425 pp.
  8. Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
  9. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
  10. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  11. Ernst, C. H. 1992. Venomous reptiles of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. ix + 236 pp.
  12. Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
  13. Fitch, H. S. 1985. Variation in clutch and litter size in New World reptiles. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication No. 76:1-76.
  14. Gloyd, H. 1940. The rattlesnakes. Chicago Academy Science, Special Publication No. 4.
  15. Holycross, A. T., C. W. Painter, D. B. Prival, D. E. Swann, M. J. Schroff, T. Edwards, and C. R. Schwalbe. 2002. Diet of <i>Crotalus lepidus klauberi </i>(banded rock rattlesnake). Journal of Herpetology 36:589-597.
  16. Klauber, L. M. 1972. Rattlesnakes: their habits, life histories, and influence on mankind. Second edition. Two volumes. Univ. California Press, Berkeley.
  17. Knight, A., D. Styer, S. Pelikan, J. A. Campbell, L. D. Densmore III, and D. P. Mindell. 1993. Choosing among hypotheses of rattlesnake phylogeny: a best-fit rate test for DNA sequence data. Systematic Biology 42(3):356-367.
  18. Lowe, C. H., C. R. Schwalbe, and T. B. Johnson. 1986. The venomous reptiles of Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department. ix + 115 pp.
  19. McCranie, J. R. 1988. Description of the hemipenis of <i>Sistrurus ravus </i>(Serpentes: Viperidae). Herpetologica 44:123-126.
  20. Murphy, R. W., J. Fu, and A. Lathrop. 2002. Phylogeny of the rattlesnakes (<i>Crotalus </i>and <i>Sistrurus</i>) inferred from sequences of five mitochondrial DNA genes. Pages 69-92 in G. W. Schuett, M. Hoggren, M. E. Douglas, and H. W. Greene, editors. Biology of the Vipers. Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah.
  21. Parkinson, C. L. 1999. Molecular systematics and biogeographical history of pitvipers as determined by mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences. Copeia 1999:576-586.
  22. Pyron, R. A., F. T. Burbrink, and J. J. Wiens. 2013. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 29:131.
  23. Smith, L. J., A. T. Holycross, C. W. Painter, and M. E. Douglas. 2001. Montane rattlesnakes and prescribed fire. Southwestern Naturalist 46:54-61.
  24. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.
  25. Stebbins, R. C. 2003. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  26. Stille, B. 1987. Dorsal scale microdermatoglyphics and rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus </i>and <i>Sistrurus</i>) phylogeny (Reptilia: Viperidae: Crotalinae). Herpetologica:98-104.
  27. Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
  28. Tennant, A. 1998. A field guide to Texas snakes. Second edition. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas.