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Home/Species/ Checkered Gartersnake

Thamnophis marcianus

(Baird and Girard, 1853)

Checkered Gartersnake

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101075
Element CodeARADB36070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusThamnophis
Other Common Names
checkered gartersnake (EN) Checkered Garter Snake (EN)
Concept Reference
Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford, and R. A. Seigel. 1996. The garter snakes: evolution and ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. xx + 332 pp.
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-12-19
Change Date1996-10-30
Edition Date2005-12-19
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
Range Extent Comments
The range extends from southeastern California, southern Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Kansas south through Oklahoma, and Texas to northern and central Mexico (Zacatecas and northern Veracruz), then disjunctly through southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to Costa Rica, at elevations from near sea level to 2,200 meters (7,218 feet) (Rossman et al. 1996, Stebbins 2003).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a very large number of occurrences or subpopulations. Werler and Dixon (2000) mapped hundreds of collection sites in Texas, and Degenhardt et al. (1996) mapped well over 100 collection sites in New Mexico..
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. It is not known whether this species is being negatively affected by destruction of tropical lowland habitats in Mexico and Central America (Rossman et al. 1996). Introduced bullfrogs do not appear to be causing declines in Arizona (Rosen and Schwalbe 1988).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This snake occurs in the vicinity of ponds, springs, streams, rivers, marshes, swamps, flooded areas, and irrigation ditches (in arid and semiarid regions in the north, usually grasslands and deserts, but also thornbrush savanna, backyards, gardens, and other terrestrial habitats in southern Texas) (Rossman et al. 1996, Werler and Dixon 2000, Stebbins 2003). Habitats in the southern part of the range include tropical wet, moist, and dry forest (Campbell 1998) and pine-palmetto savanna (Lee 2000). It is most common in lowland habitats (Degenhardt et al. 1996).

Reproduction

In southeastern Arizona, mating occurred in late March (Seigel et al. 2000). Births occur mainly June-August in U.S. Adult females produced a single brood in late May and early June in southeastern Arizona (Seigel et al. 2000). Pregnant females were recorded March-September in southwestern Texas and northeastern Mexico; apparently some females produce a single litter in midsummer, others produce young in late spring and/or fall (Ford and Karges 1987). Litter size about 5-30; average about 13 in Texas, 15 in southeastern Arizona (Seigel et al. 2000).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodWoodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
TexasS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
New MexicoS4Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
KansasS2Yes
ArizonaS5Yes
Roadless Areas (5)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
New Mexico (3)
AreaForestAcres
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Nichols ReservoirSanta Fe National Forest1,518
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
References (24)
  1. 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.
  2. Campbell, J. A. 1998. Amphibians and reptiles of northern Guatemala, the Yucatan, and Belize. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. xix + 380 pp.
  3. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  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. Degenhardt, W. G., C. W. Painter, and A. H. Price. 1996. Amphibians and reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. xix + 431 pp.
  9. Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.
  10. Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
  11. Ford, N. B., and J. P. Karges. 1987. Reproduction in the checkered garter snake, <i>Thamnophis marcianus</i>, from southwestern Texas and northeastern Mexico: seasonality and evidence for multiple clutches. Southwest Nat. 32:93-101.
  12. Hollingsworth, B. D., and T. R. Prosser. 1997. Geographic distribution: <i>Thamnophis marcianus marcianus</i> (checkered garter snake). Herpetological Review 28:211.
  13. Lawson, R. 1987. Molecular studies of thamnophiine snakes: 1. The phylogeny of the genus <i>Nerodia</i>. J. Herpetology 21:140-157.
  14. Lee, J. C. 2000. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Maya world: the lowlands of Mexico, northern Guatemala, and Belize. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. 402 pp.
  15. Mendelson, J. R., III, and W. B. Jennings. 1992. Shifts in the relative abundance of snakes in a desert grassland. J. Herpetol. 26:38-45.
  16. Rosen, P. C. and C. R. Schwalbe. 1988. Status of the Mexican and narrow-headed garter snakes (<i>Thamnophis eques megalops</i> and <i>Thamnophis rufipunctatus rufiounctatus</i>) in Arizona. Unpublished report from Arizona Game and Fish Dept. (Phoenix, Arizona) to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
  17. Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford, and R. A. Seigel. 1996. The garter snakes: evolution and ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. xx + 332 pp.
  18. Seigel, R. A., N. B. Ford, and L. A. Mahrt. 2000. Ecology of an aquatic snake (Thamnophis marcianus) in a desert environment: implications of early timing of birth and geographic variation in reproduction. American Midland Naturalist 143:453-462.
  19. Shaw, C. E., and S. Campbell. 1974. Snakes of the American West. A. E. Knopf, Inc., New York. xii + 332 pp.
  20. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.
  21. Stebbins, R. C. 2003. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  22. Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
  23. Tennant, A. 1998. A field guide to Texas snakes. Second edition. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas.
  24. Werler, J. E., and J. R. Dixon. 2000. Texas snakes: identification, distribution, and natural history. University of Texas Press, Austin. xv + 437 pp.