Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Rough Greensnake

Opheodrys aestivus

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Rough Greensnake

G5Secure Found in 32 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102569
Element CodeARADB23010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusOpheodrys
Other Common Names
rough greensnake (EN) Rough Green Snake (EN)
Concept Reference
Walley, H. D., and M. V. Plummer. 2000. Opheodrys aestivus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 718:1-14.
Taxonomic Comments
Rittmeyer et al. 2021 found genetic differences between populations and suggested that the peninsular Florida populations be elevated to species status, O. carinatus.
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-12-09
Change Date2000-12-14
Edition Date2005-12-09
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Large range in southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico; common in many areas.
Range Extent Comments
The range extends from southern New Jersey to southern Florida, west to eastern Kansas, central Oklahoma, and central Texas, north to the southern portions of the southern Great Lakes states, south into northeastern Mexico (Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas) (Walley and Plummer 2000).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a very large number of occurrences or subpopulations (more than 100) (see map in Walley and Plummer 2000).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. Locally, clearing of wooded wetlands and wooded borders of aquatic habitats is a potential threat, as is pesticide application in such habitats.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This snake typically inhabits dense vegetation (vines, shrubs, trees) near water; often at forest edges or in fairly open forests; also overgrown pasture, tallgrass prairie, thickets, barrier islands; open marsh and spoil banks in Louisiana; pine-oak, mesic hardwood hammocks, and occasionally mangrove swamps in Florida (see Walley and Plummer 2000). It is mostly arboreal but less so in spring and fall. In Arkansas, it avoids basking (Plummer 1993). It occupies vegetation above ground at night in warmer months; underground in cold weather.

Eggs are laid under objects in damp areas (Ashton and Ashton 1981), in rotting logs (Goldsmith 1984), or in tree hollows. May nest communally. In Arkansas, gravid females moved 5-75 m (average 36 m) terrestrially away from lake shore and oviposited in small chambers within the hollowed interiors of small living trees, 25-300 cm above ground; individuals may return to specific tree each year (Plummer 1989, 1990).

Ecology

The best information derives from Plummer's studies in Arkansas. Average distance between recapture sites was about 28 m (Plummer 1997). Home range averaged 67 m of shoreline and differed in location between years by about 50 m (Plummer 1997). Population density was about 430/ha within 5 m of shoreline (Plummer 1985); maximum density was 800/ha at another site (Plummer 1997). First year survivorship was 21-22%; few individuals lived longer than six years (Plummer 1997). Snakes were active over a wide range of body temperatures (Plummer 1993).

Reproduction

Eggs are laid mainly in late June-July in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Clutch size averages 5-6 in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Eggs hatch in 5-12 weeks, July-October (August-early September in Arkansas). In Arkansas, males first breed at 21 months (spring of 3rd calendar year), females at 21 months or 33 months (Plummer 1985; Aldridge et al., 1990, Amphibia-Reptilia 11:165-172).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodWoodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MarylandS5Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
MissouriS5Yes
FloridaSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
New JerseyS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS4Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
KansasS4Yes
MississippiS4Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
IndianaS3Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
OhioS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
TexasS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS1Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
DelawareS2Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
Roadless Areas (32)
Alabama (2)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Cheaha BTalladega National Forest741
Arkansas (6)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Brush HeapOuachita National Forest4,205
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
Hurricane CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest2,279
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Florida (3)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Long BayApalachicola National Forest5,726
PinhookOsceola National Forest15,405
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bay CreekShawnee National Forest120
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
North Carolina (8)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Catfish Lake South - ACroatan National Forest217
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainCherokee National Forest11,743
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Virginia (6)
AreaForestAcres
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
Three SistersGeorge Washington National Forest8,149
References (35)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1981. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part One: The Snakes. Windward Publishing Company, Miami, Florida. 176 pp.
  2. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999b. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xvi + 278 pp.
  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. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  5. 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.
  6. Collins, J. T. 1992. Reply to Grobman on variation in OPHEODRYS AESTIVUS. Herpetol. Rev. 23:15-16.
  7. Collins, J. T. 1993. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Third edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Public Education Series No. 13. xx + 397 pp.
  8. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  9. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  10. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  11. 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.
  12. 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]
  13. Dundee, H. A., and D. A. Rossman. 1989. The amphibians and reptiles of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge.
  14. Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
  15. Goldsmith, S. K. 1984. Aspects of the natural history of the rough green snake, <i>Opheodrys aestivus</i> (Colubridae). Southwest. Nat. 29:445-452.
  16. Grobman, A. 1992b. On races, clines, and common names in <i>Opheodrys</i>. Herpetol. Rev. 23:14-15.
  17. Grobman, A.B. 1984. Scutellation variation in <i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum: Biological Sciences 29(4):153-170.
  18. Johnson, T. R. 2000. The amphibians and reptiles of Missouri. Second edition. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. 400 pp.
  19. Minton, S. A., Jr. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy Science Monographs 3. v + 346 pp.
  20. Minton, S. A., Jr. 2001. Amphibians & reptiles of Indiana. Revised second edition. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. xiv + 404 pp.
  21. Mitchell, J. C. 1994. The reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. xv + 352 pp.
  22. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  23. Oldham, J. C., and H. M. Smith. 1991. The generic status of the smooth green snake, <i>Opheodrys vernalis</i>. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 27(4):201-215.
  24. Palmer, W. M., and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  25. Phillips, C. A., R. A. Brandon, and E. O. Moll. 1999. Field guide to amphibians and reptiles of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Manual 8. xv + 282 pp.
  26. Plummer, M. V. 1985a. Demography of green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>). Herpetologica 41:373-381.
  27. Plummer, M. V. 1985b. Growth and maturity in green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>). Herpetologica 41:28-33.
  28. Plummer, M. V. 1987. Geographic variation in body size of Green Snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>). Copeia 1987(2):483-485.
  29. Plummer, M. V. 1989. Observations on the nesting ecology of green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>). Herpetol. Rev. 20:87-89.
  30. Plummer, M. V. 1990. Nesting movements, nesting behavior, and nest sites of green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>) revealed by radiotelemetry. Herpetologica 46:190-195.
  31. Plummer, M. V. 1993. Thermal ecology of arboreal green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>). J. Herpetol. 27:254-260.
  32. Plummer, M. V. 1997. Population ecology of green snakes (<i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>) revisited. Herpetological Monographs 11:102-123.
  33. Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
  34. Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.
  35. Walley, H. D., and M. V. Plummer. 2000. <i>Opheodrys aestivus</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 718:1-14.