Crotalus willardi
Crotalus willardi | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Viperidae |
Genus: | Crotalus |
Species: | C. willardi
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Binomial name | |
Crotalus willardi Meek, 1905
| |
Synonyms[2][3] | |
- Common names: ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Willard's rattlesnake, Willard's rattler[4]
Crotalus willardi is a
Etymology
The specific name, willardi, is in honor of its discoverer, "Professor" Frank Cottle Willard, a businessman from Tombstone, Arizona.[7][8]
Taxonomy
Originally described in 1905, Crotalus willardi is the most recent rattlesnake species to be discovered in the United States. Five
Description
Crotalus willardi is a rather small rattlesnake with all subspecies measuring one to two feet (30–60 cm) in length. Color patterns are generally a dark brown base with pale or white horizontal striping, but vary slightly among subspecies. It has the odd distinction of being named last as a new species, as there is no mistaking the clear cut ridge that follows the countour of its snout, a ridge formed by turning up the scales on the end of its nose. [10]
Habitat
C. willardi is rarely found outside habitats at high elevation. Wooded mountain ranges, primarily in the southwest, are where this reclusive species is found. Each subspecies’ range is limited to select mountain ranges, making human encounters rare events.
Conservation status
The species C. willardi is classified as Least Concern on the
Although four of the five
Behavior and diet
Rattlesnakes are primarily ambush hunters; they coil and lie waiting for prey to approach within striking distance. The diet of C. willardi includes small
Reproduction
Like other rattlesnakes, C. willardi is
Venom
Due to the generally small size of C. willardi, venom discharge yields are low; thus, the largely hemotoxic venom is not as life-threatening as that of other rattlesnakes. No documented deaths have been caused by ridge-nosed rattlesnakes, but pain and discomfort can still result from a rare bite.
Subspecies
Subspecies[9] | Taxon author[9] | Common name[14] | Geographic range[15][16] |
---|---|---|---|
C. w. amabilis | Anderson, 1962 | Del Nido ridge-nosed rattlesnake | Mexico in north-central Chihuahua |
C. w. meridionalis | Klauber, 1949 | Southern ridge-nosed rattlesnake | Mexico in southern Durango and southwestern Zacatecas |
C. w. obscurus | Harris & Simmons, 1974 | New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake | The US in extreme southeastern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico, Mexico in extreme northwestern Chihuahua and extreme northeastern Sonora |
C. w. silus | Klauber, 1949 | Chihuahuan ridge-nosed rattlesnake | Western Chihuahua and eastern Sonora |
C. w. willardi | Meek, 1905 | Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake | Southeastern Arizona, and northern Sonora |
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ISBN 1-893777-01-4(volume).
- ^ "Crotalus willardi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ISBN 0-8014-0463-0). (Crotalus willardi, pp. 1034-1037, Figures 294-295 + Map 67 on p. 951).
- ^ Brennan, Thomas (2008). "RIDGE-NOSED RATTLESNAKE Crotalus willardi". Retrieved 16 May 2019. http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subpages/h-c-willardi.html Archived 2016-08-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Arizona Rattlesnakes: Rattlesnake Facts, Arizona Game and Fish Department, retrieved 2019-05-16
- ^ Beltz, Ellin (2006). Biographies of People Honored in the Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Crotalus willardi, p. 286).
- ^ a b c "Crotalus willardi ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-394-48882-0.
- ^ 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List. Accessed 13 September 2007.
- ^ Holycross et al., 2002.
- ^ Holycross & Goldberg, 2001.
- ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ISBN 0-520-21056-5).
Further reading
- ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Crotalus willardi, pp. 695–696 + Plate 643).
- ISBN 978-0972015400
- Holycross AT, Goldberg SR (2001). "Reproduction in northern populations of the ridgenose rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi (Serpentes: Viperidae)". Copeia 2001: 473-481.
- Hubbs, Brian; O'Connor Brendan (2012). A Guide to the Rattlesnakes and other Venomous Serpents of the United States. Tempe, Arizona: Tricolor Books. 129 pp. ISBN 978-0-9754641-3-7. (Crotalus willardi, pp. 58–61).
- Meek SE (1905). "An annotated list of a collection of reptiles from southern California and northern Lower California". Field Columbian Museum Zoölogical Series 7 (1): 1-19 + Plates I-III. (Crotalus willardi, new species, pp. 18–19 + Plate III).
- Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (Crotalus willardi, p. 311, Figure 103).
- ISBN 0-307-47009-1(hardcover). (Crotalus willardi, pp. 206–207).
- ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3. (Crotalus willardi, p. 418 + Plate 52 + Map 188).
External links
- Crotalus willardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 12 December 2007.
- Taxonomy of the New Mexican Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake at Virginia Tech. Accessed 12 December 2007.
- International Biopark: Ridge-nosed Rattelsnake at Biopark. Accessed 12 December 2007.
- US Fish & Wildlife Service Species Profile: Crotalus willardi at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed 12 December 2007.