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Reptiles of the United States  
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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Ringneck Snakes »» Mississippi Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus stictogenys)


Mississippi Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus stictogenys)STATUS





Description: Like D. p. punctatus, the Mississippi ringneck snake characteristically attains a maximum length of 17.5 inches. The head is black and the body dark gray, separated by a golden ring at the neck. The ventral side displays a yellow belly, transitioning to dark orange under tail. It can be differentiated from D. p. punctatus, with which it intergrades, by its black ventral markings that present as irregular black spots or paired black spots down the middle, rather than the a single row of black spots found in southern Ringneck snakes.


Habitat: Their favored habitat is pine forests, timbered hillsides, broken fields near water, and the bottoms of ravines. They can usually be found underneath logs, stones, and ground litter near stumps and tree bases.


Range: It is found in the eastern half of the United States, throughout most of the southeastern states and into the central states, including as far north as Illinois.


Found in these States: AL | AR | IL | KY | LA | MO | MS | OK | TN | TX


Diet: These snakes prey upon small vertebrates and small invertebrates, including insects.


Reproduction: A female will lay a clutch of 2–8 eggs under rocks or moist and rotting wood. The eggs hatch after about five weeks.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the very large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. This species is not threatened in most of its range.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Diadophis
                     »» Species: Diadophis punctatus - Ringneck Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: D.p. stictogenys - Mississippi Ringneck Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Diadophis punctatus stictogenys", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 

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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

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