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Crotalus cerberus

(Coues, 1875)

Arizona Black Rattlesnake

G5Secure Found in 27 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104895
Element CodeARADE02122
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyViperidae
GenusCrotalus
Synonyms
Crotalus viridis cerberus(Coues, 1875)
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Pook et al. (2000), Ashton and de Queiroz (2001), and Douglas et al. (2002) analyzed mtDNA sequence data and concluded that Crotalus viridis comprised at least two clades, C. viridis and C. oreganus, with C. cerberus being the sister taxon to populations of C. oreganus. The former two studies did not formally recognize C. cerberus as a species, although both suggested that it was distinct based on sequence differences and allopatry. The latter study did recognize C. cerberus as well as four other taxa. Although the studies relied on the same locus, Crother (2017) conservatively conclude that the congruence among all three studies might suggest the recognition of C. viridis, C. oreganus and C. cerberus. Davis et al. (2016) used mtDNA and morphometric analyses that resolved six species within the C. viridis complex, which Crother (2017) don't follow pending further analyses with nDNA.

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).
Conservation Status
Review Date2008-08-26
Change Date2008-08-26
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in southwestern United States, in Arizona and New Mexico. It ranges from the mountains in central Mohave County, Arizona southeast along the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains and then south through the mountain ranges in Cochise, Graham, Pima, and Pinal counties, Arizona; also the Gila Wilderness in Catron and Grant counties, New Mexico (Nowak et al. 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This snake inhabits a wide diversity of habitats, including desert scrub, semidesert, grasslands, conifer woodlands, and riparian deciduous forests. It is primarily terrestrial but sometimes climbs into trees or shrubs. When inactive, it occupies mammal burrows, crevices, caves, or similar secluded sites. Pregnant females may congregate near the winter den until parturition (Nowak et al. 2020).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS5Yes
New MexicoS3Yes
Roadless Areas (27)
Arizona (25)
AreaForestAcres
Arnold MesaPrescott National Forest12,286
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Black River CanyonApache-Sitgreaves National Forests11,817
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
Connell MountainsPrescott National Forest7,926
FritschePrescott National Forest14,190
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Grief HillPrescott National Forest12,535
HackberryCoconino National Forest17,885
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Hell HoleApache-Sitgreaves National Forests15,512
HellsgateTonto National Forest6,171
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Mitchell PeakApache-Sitgreaves National Forests35,398
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Pine Mountain Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest6,518
PipestemApache-Sitgreaves National Forests34,598
Santa TeresaCoronado National Forest8,929
Sierra Ancha Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest7,787
Upper Rincon RoadlessCoronado National Forest2,991
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Frisco BoxGila National Forest38,979
Hell HoleGila National Forest19,553
References (24)
  1. Ashton, K. G., and A. de Queiroz. 2001. Molecular systematics of the western rattlesnake, <i>Crotalus viridis</i> (Viperidae), with comments on the utility of the D-loop in phylogenetic studies of snakes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 21:176-189.
  2. Bauder, J.M., H. Akenson, and C.R. Peterson. 2015. Movement patterns of prairie rattlesnakes (<i>Crotalus v. viridis</i>) across a mountainous landscape in a designated wilderness area. Journal of Herpetology 49(3):377-387.
  3. Brattstrom, B. H. 1964. Evolution of the pit vipers. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 13(11):185-268.
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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]
  8. Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Quieroz, D. Frost, D. M. Green, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, R. W. McDiarmid, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2003. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico: update. Herpetological Review 34:198-203.
  9. Davis, M. A., M. R. Douglas, M. L. Collyer, and M. E. Douglas. 2016. Deconstructing a species-complex: geometric morphometric and molecular analyses define species in the Western Rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus viridis</i>). PloS one 11(1):e0146166.
  10. Douglas, M. E., M. R. Douglas, G. W. Schuett, L. W. Porras, and A. T. Holycross. 2002. Phylogeography of the western rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus viridis</i>) complex, with emphasis on the Colorado Plateau. Pages 11-50 in G. W. Schuett, M. Hoggren, M. E. Douglas, and H. W. Greene, editors. Biology of the Vipers. Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah.
  11. Ernst, C. H. 1992. Venomous reptiles of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. ix + 236 pp.
  12. Fitch, H.S. and B. Glading. 1947. A field study of a rattlesnake population. California Fish Game 33:103-123.
  13. Hirth, H.F., R.C. Pendleton, A.C. King, and T.R. Downward. 1969. Dispersal of snakes from a hibernaculum in northwestern Utah. Ecology 50(2):332-339
  14. Holycross, A.T. and J.C. Mitchell (eds.). 2020. Snakes of Arizona. ECO Wear and Publishing, Rodeo, New Mexico, 860 pp.
  15. 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.
  16. Macartney, J. M., P. T. Gregory, and K. W. Larsen. 1988. A tabular survey of data on movements and home ranges of snakes. Journal of Herpetology 22:61-73.
  17. McCranie, J. R. 1988. Description of the hemipenis of <i>Sistrurus ravus </i>(Serpentes: Viperidae). Herpetologica 44:123-126.
  18. 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.
  19. Nowak, E. M., M. Amarello, and J.J. Smith. 2020. <i>Crotalus cerberus</i>, Arizona Black Rattlesnake. Pages 511-528 in A.T. Holycross and J.C. Mitchell (eds.). 2020. Snakes of Arizona. ECO Wear and Publishing, Rodeo, New Mexico.
  20. Parkinson, C. L. 1999. Molecular systematics and biogeographical history of pitvipers as determined by mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences. Copeia 1999:576-586.
  21. Pook, C. E., W. Wuster, and R. S. Thorpe. 2000. Historical biogeography of the western rattlesnake (Serpentes: Viperidae: <i>Crotalus viridis</i>), inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence information. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 15:269-282.
  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. Reed, R. N., and M. E. Douglas. 2002. Ecology of the Grand Canyon rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus viridis abyssus</i>) in the Little Colorado River canyon, Arizona. Southwestern Naturalist 47:30-39.
  24. Stille, B. 1987. Dorsal scale microdermatoglyphics and rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus </i>and <i>Sistrurus</i>) phylogeny (Reptilia: Viperidae: Crotalinae). Herpetologica:98-104.