Natural History of Vertebrates Lab
Emporia State University

REPTILE LIST (SPRING 2008)

Taxonomy and nomenclature follows Collins (1993).
Collins, J. T. 1993. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas, third edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Public Education Series 13:1-397.

A Checklist to the Native Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas
You will be responsible for the classification from kingdom to species, its common name, and its general distribution in Kansas (part of the state). Plus you must spell all names or categories correctly.

If you click on the family names, you will see a couple of charateristics that will be useful in recognizing the families. Links at the taxonomic levels above family, take you to the Tree of Life Project. Links at the species level take you to a collection of photographs on the Animal Diversity Web or The Herps of Texas. Use the "back" button in the top left corner to go back to the species list. If you know of photographs on the WWW to which I could link, I would very much appreciate the URLs.

Kingdom Animalia
   Phylum Chordata
      Subphylum Vertebrata
         Class Reptilia
            Order Testudines
               Family Chelydridae
                  Chelydra serpentina  (snapping turtle)
                  Macroclemys temminckii  (alligator snapping turtle) special concern
               Family Kinosternidae
                  Sternotherus odoratus  (common musk turtle)
                  Kinosternon flavescens  (yellow mud turtle)
               Family Emydidae
                  Graptemys kohnii  (Mississippi map turtle)
                  Graptemys geographica  (common map turtle)threatened
                  Graptemys pseudogeographica  (false map turtle)
                  Chrysemys picta  (painted turtle)
                  Trachemys scripta  (slider)
                  Terrapene carolina  (eastern box turtle)
                  Terrapene ornata  (ornate box turtle)
               Family Trionychidae
                  Apalone mutica  (smooth softshell)
                  Apalone spinifera  (spiny softshell)
            Order Squamata
               Suborder Lacertilia
                  Family Crotaphytidae
                     Crotaphytus collaris  (collared lizard)
                  Family Phrynosomatidae
                     Sceloporus undulatus  (fence lizard)
                     Phrynosoma cornutum  (Texas horned lizard)
                  Family Scincidae
                     Scincella lateralis  (ground skink)
                     Eumeces anthracinus  (coal skink)
                     Eumeces fasciatus  (five-lined skink)
                     Eumeces laticeps  (broadhead skink)T
                     Eumeces obsoletus  (Great Plains skink)
                     Eumeces septentrionalis  (northern prairie skink)
                  Family Teiidae
                     Cnemidophorus sexlineatus  (six-lined racerunner)
                  Family Anguidae
                     Ophisaurus attenuatus (western slender glass liz.)
               Suborder Serpentes
                  Family Xenodontidae
                     Carphophis vermis  (western worm snake)
                     Diadophis punctatus  (ringneck snake)
                     Tantilla gracilis  (flathead snake)
                     Hypsiglena torquata  (night snake)threatened
                  Family Colubridae
                     Arizona elegans  (glossy snake)special concern
                     Coluber constrictor  (racer)
                     Elaphe emoryi  (Great Plains rat snake)
                     Elaphe obsoleta  (rat snake)
                     Lampropeltis calligaster  (prairie kingsnake)
                     Lampropeltis getula  (common kingsnake)
                     Lampropeltis triangulum  (milk snake)
                     Opheodrys aestivus  (rough green snake)
                  Family Natricidae
                     Nerodia rhombifer  (diamondback water snake)
                     Nerodia sipedon  (northern water snake)
                     Thamnophis radix  (plains garter snake)
                     Virginia striatula  (rough earth snake) special concern
                  Family Viperidae
                     Agkistrodon contortrix  (copperhead)
                     Crotalus horridus  (timber rattlesnake) special concern
                     Crotalus viridis  (western rattlesnake)
                     Sistrurus catenatus  (massasauga)

CHARACTERISTICS USEFUL IN IDENTIFYING THE FAMILIES OF
REPTILES IN KANSAS

CHELYDRIDAE--thin connection between carapace and plastron; tail long, more than half the length of the carapace

KINOSTERNIDAE--plastron composed of 10 or 11 plates; connection between plastron and carapace contacts only the third pair of plates in the plastron

EMYDIDAE--plastron composed of 12 plates; connection between plastron and carapace contacts the third and fourth pairs of plates in the plastron

TRIONYCHIDAE--carapace soft and leathery; snout flexible and pointed

CROTAPHYTIDAE--one or two black bands across neck

PHRYNOSOMATIDAE--around the middle of the body, the ventral scales are much larger than dorsal or lateral scales

SCINCIDAE--around the middle of the body, the ventral scales are the same size as the dorsal or lateral scales

TEIIDAE--elongate with tail length more than twice the snout-vent length; granular dorsal scales and large transverse belly scales in 8 rows

ANGUIDAE--body without four limbs; external ear opening; eyelids

XENODONTIDAE--small snakes; smooth scales; rear-fanged

COLUBRIDAE--larger snakes; scales variable; lay eggs

NATRICIDAE--generally strongly keeled scales; bears live young

VIPERIDAE--sensory pit on each side of head between the eye and the nasal opening; anal scale undivided

Last updated on 6 March 2008.
Provide comments to Dwight Moore at mooredwi@emporia.edu.
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