Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans  (Baird & Girard, 1853)

Taxonomic Comments:

Hammerson (1999 Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado. Second Edition. University Press of Colorado, Niwot. xxvi + 484 pp.) presented substantial evidence that the race, Thamnophis elegans arizonae Tanner & Lowe 1989, did not deserve recognition. Hammerson (1999 Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado. Second Edition. University Press of Colorado, Niwot. xxvi + 484 pp.) presented substantial evidence that the race, Thamnophis elegans vascotanneri Tanner & Lowe 1989, did not deserve recognition. Bronikowski and Arnold (2001 Copeia 2001(2): 508-513), using DNA data, concluded that recognition of the race, Thamnophis elegans terrestris Fox 1951, was unsupported. Collins & Taggart (2002 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition) submitted for consideration the proposals by Hammerson (1999 op. cit.) and Bronikowski & Arnold (2001 op. cit.) to a snake systematist group composed of Frank T. Burbrink, Jeff Camper, Harry W. Greene, L. Lee Grismer, Robin Lawson, James R. McCranie, Andrew H. Price, Javier Rodriguez-Robles, and Samuel S. Sweet, and they agreed.