Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like to know for certain, what the current status is on the Eastern Fox snake. One book mentions that they are now recognized as two species; Elaphe vulpina (westerns) and Elaphe gloydi (easterns), and no longer subspecies. I have recently seen some refer to the fox snakes as Panterophis sp. as well. Just trying to keep up!

Thanks in advance,
Jay

you'll encounter among herp academic types. I'll try to recap the situation in a neutral manner and you can draw your own conclusions.

Historically the old and new world "ratsnakes" were grouped together in the genus Elaphe. In the last twenty years or so biologists have started peeling off species and groups of species into separate genera (Bogertophis, Senticolis, Gonyosoma, etc). Recently several studies have been performed on the Elaphe and related species using DNA analysis to refine the relationships between the various species. On the basis of this work one researcher has published a study that separates all of the new world ratsnakes from Elaphe. He puts the lampropeltine snakes (new world "ratsnakes", Pituophis, Lampropeltis, Arizona and Rhinocheilus) together in a large grouping and shows them as distinct from the old world ratsnakes by virtue of the evolution they have undergone since migrating from the old world.

The "new world ratsnakes" are divided up into Pantherophis (obsoleta, vulpina, guttata, bairdi) and Pseudelaphe (flavirufa) and the previously separated Bogertophis and Senticolis species. This study didn't seem to make much distinction between the two groups of foxsnakes (probably because only a few foxsnakes were used in the study)but did group them on a sub-branch with the cornsnakes.

Earlier studies have split the foxsnakes into subspecies or species depending on the researcher's criteria for speciation. Geographic separation, appearance, life history may be factored in different formulae to determine whether you want to divide the eastern and western foxsnakes into separate species or just keep them as subspecies. I think the latest consensus is that they are separate species. This may be more for legal or conservation reasons than anything else, although there are some definite differences in behavior exhibited by gloydi.

If you do a search on this website under pantherophis you will discover just how passionate some systematists can get about these studies and reassignments. Not being an academic I don't get too excited about either choice (a rose by any other name) but it's interesting to see some of the data they come up with.

Hope this helps
John

John,
Do you know if the current research separating the new world Elaphe from the old world Elaphe is availble online? I haven't been able to find it. Thanks.

Bryan

If you contact the author (Urs Utiger) by e-mail at utiger@herpetology.ch maybe he'll send it to you. You can also probably order a paper copy from http://www.folium.ru/en/journals/rjh/subscription.htm

Regards
John

I will probbaly continue to use Elaphe for now. I'm not a purist on the latin stuff. It will always be chondro to me!!

Jay

this will sort itself out. Before then I guess it's not that important which name you use as long as everyone knows what species is being discussed.
John