Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Common Sharp-tailed Snake

Contia tenuis

(Baird and Girard, 1852)

Common Sharp-tailed Snake

G5Secure Found in 17 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.843987
Element CodeARADB09010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusContia
COSEWICE,T
Other Common Names
Couleuvre à queue fine (FR) Sharp-tailed Snake (EN)
Concept Reference
Feldman, C. R., and R. F. Hoyer. 2010. A new species of snake in the genus Contia (Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon. Copeia 2010: 254-267.
Taxonomic Comments
Feldman and Hoyer (2010) formally split Contia tenuis into two species: Contia tenuis, which ranges from southern Vancouver Island (British Columbia) and central Washington to the northern portion of southern California, and C. longicaudae, with a smaller range extending from west-central Oregon to the Monterey Bay region of central California.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-02
Change Date2010-08-23
Edition Date2010-08-23
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
The range extends from northern and central California (along the Coast Ranges south to San Luis Obispo County and the Sierra Nevada south to Tulare County) northward to the Willamette Valley, Oregon, and also includes the Puget Lowland southwest of Tacoma (at least formerly) and scattered locations on the east side of the Cascades in Washington and north-central Oregon, as well as the southern end of Vancouver Island and the nearby Gulf Islands of British Columbia, at elevations from sea level to around 2,010 meters (6,600 feet) (Nussbaum et al. 1983, Brown et al. 1995, Leonard and Ovaska 1998, St. John 2002, Stebbins 2003, Feldman and Hoyer 2010). A record from near McGillivray Lake in south-central British Columbia needs confirmation (Stebbins 2003).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations). Feldman and Hoyer (2010) mapped more than 200 widely distributed collection sites.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Contia longicaudae is genetically cohesive, possesses a greater number of caudal scales, a proportionately longer tail, and tends to be larger overall with more pronounced dorsolateral stripes and a more muted ventral coloration than C. tenuis (Feldman and Hoyer 2010).

Habitat

Habitat includes moist situations in pastures, meadows, oak woodlands, broken chaparral, and the edges of coniferous or hardwood forests (Stebbins 2003); also shrubby rabbitbrush-sagebrush (Weaver, 2004, Herpetol. Rev. 35:176). This snake generally is found under logs, rocks, fallen branches, or other cover. It retreats underground during dry periods.

Reproduction

Reproductive females deposit a clutch of up to 9 egg probably in June or July.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN1
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS1Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS4Yes
WashingtonS3Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
Roadless Areas (17)
California (13)
AreaForestAcres
Bald RockPlumas National Forest4,675
Bear MountainLos Padres National Forest913
Black ButteLos Padres National Forest5,116
ChinquapinShasta-Trinity National Forest22,040
Dennison PeakSequoia National Forest6,293
IshiLassen National Forest21,805
Kings RiverSierra National Forest52,999
Middle ForkPlumas National Forest29,278
MosesSequoia National Forest22,077
PattisonShasta-Trinity National Forest29,299
ShuteyeSierra National Forest7,313
SoliderSix Rivers National Forest14,918
South ForkShasta-Trinity National Forest16,786
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
North KalmiopsisSiskiyou National Forests91,560
South KalmiopsisSiskiyou National Forests104,477
Washington (2)
AreaForestAcres
EntiatWenatchee National Forest72,617
ManastashWenatchee National Forest11,155
References (7)
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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]
  4. Feldman, C. R., and R. F. Hoyer. 2010. A new species of snake in the genus <i>Contia </i>(Squamata: Colubridae) from California and Oregon. Copeia 2010: 254-267.
  5. Leonard, W. P., and K. Ovaska. 1998. <i>Contia</i>, <i>C. tenuis</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 677:1-7.
  6. St. John, A. 2002. Reptiles of the northwest. Lone Pine Publishing, Renton, Washington. 272 pp.
  7. Washington Herp Atlas. 2009 (map products updated March 2017). A cooperative effort of Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service. 250 pp.