Pituophis deppei facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pituophis deppei
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Pituophis
Species:	deppei
Synonyms
Elaphis deppei A.M.C. Duméril, 1853 Arizona deppei — Cope, 1861 Arizona jani Cope, 1861 Pituophis deppei — Jan & Sordelli, 1867 Spilotes deppei — Cope, 1887 Coluber deppii — Boulenger, 1896 Pityophis deppei — Dugès, 1898 Pituophis deppei — H.M. Smith, 1944

Pituophis deppei, commonly known as the Mexican bullsnake and the Mexican pine snake, is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.

Etymology

The specific name, deppei, is in honor of German artist Ferdinand Deppe, who collected natural history specimens in Mexico.

The subspecific name, jani, is in honor of Italian herpetologist Giorgio Jan.

Geographic range

P. deppei occurs in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Tamaulipas.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of P. deppei are forest, shrubland, and grassland, but it is also found in agricultural, suburban, and urban areas.

Description

Dorsally, P. deppei is yellowish tan, with a series of large quadrangular blotches, which are dark brown to black. It has smaller dark spots on the sides. Ventrally, it is yellowish, with squarish brown spots. Adults may attain a total length of 1.69 m (5.5 ft), including a tail length of 18 cm (7.1 in).

Reproduction

P. deppei is oviparous.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Pituophis deppei deppei (A.M.C. Duméril, 1853) – southern Mexican pine snake
• Pituophis deppei jani (Cope, 1861) – northern Mexican pine snake

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pituophis.