The variable groundsnake, Sonora semiannulata, is also found in this area and its extremely variable. It occurs in a banded pattern that is very similar to Chilomeniscus. Sonora, also occur in a striped phase, often called the vermillion ground snake and a patternless phase.

While the variable groundsnake can be patterned and colored exactly like Chilomeniscus, its body and head shape are totally different. Its also a bit larger.

There is also the shovelnosed sandsnake, Chionactus occipalis, which occurs nearby, which again is similar, but this is a true sandsnake.

What I have is the Banded sand snake, Chilomeniscus cinctus. But oddly, they occur here in non sandy habitat, rocky hardpack soils. (Grismer et al. (2002 Herpetologica 58: 18-31) found Chilomeniscus cinctus, C. punctatissimus, and C. stramineus to represent morphotypes of a single species.)

What is very interesting is, they do "sand swim" like the shovelnose sand snake, chionactus occipalis. Both have a flat wedgeshaped nose.

There is very little pattern variation in Chilomeniscus, other then the amount of orange on the back.

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• mini kings hatched OT - FR, Sun Aug 14 16:14:57 2011
• RE: mini kings hatched OT - Bluerosy, Sun Aug 14 17:06:26 2011
• RE: mini kings hatched OT - FR, Sun Aug 14 21:53:39 2011
• RE: mini kings hatched OT - pyromaniac, Sun Aug 14 17:17:14 2011
• RE: mini kings hatched OT - RandyWhittington, Sun Aug 14 18:36:13 2011
• They are .... - Kerby..., Sun Aug 14 18:40:59 2011
• RE: They are .... - RandyWhittington, Sun Aug 14 20:13:40 2011
• RE: They are .... - FR, Sun Aug 14 20:43:55 2011
• RE: They are .... - Tony D, Mon Aug 15 08:07:59 2011
• RE: They are .... - FR, Mon Aug 15 08:45:30 2011
• RE: They are .... - Tony D, Mon Aug 15 10:14:57 2011
• RE: They are .... - Bluerosy, Mon Aug 15 10:22:44 2011
• RE: They are .... - varanid, Mon Aug 15 10:56:09 2011
• yeah.......... - DMong, Mon Aug 15 11:28:04 2011
• RE: yeah.......... - a153fish, Tue Aug 16 11:02:03 2011
• RE: mini kings hatched OT - denbar, Mon Aug 15 08:14:14 2011
• RE: they are not variable, confusion - FR, Mon Aug 15 09:09:40 2011