Arizona Black Rattlesnake Crotalus cerberus  (Coues, 1875)

Taxonomic Comments:

Pook, Wüster and Thorpe (2000 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution) provided strong evidence that this taxon is a distinct species, but did not formally recognize it as such. Ashton and de Queiroz (2001 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 21(2): 176-189), suggested that this taxon may be a distinct species, Crotalus cerberus Douglas, Douglas, Schuett, Porras, & Holycross [2002. Phylogeography of the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) Complex, with emphasis on the Colorado Plateau]. Pp. 11-50. In Biology of the Vipers [Schuett, Höggren, Douglas, and Greene (editors). Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah. xii + 580 pp. + 16 color plates] recognized this taxon as a distinct species, C. cerberus. Standard common name remains the same. Hoser (2009. A reclassification of the Rattlesnakes; species formerly exclusively referred to the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. Australasian Journal of Herpetology 6: 1-21), retained this species in the genus Crotalus Linnaeus 1758. Collins & Taggart (2009 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Sixth Edition) submitted for consideration the proposal by Douglas et al. (2002 op. cit.) to a snake systematist group composed of Frank T. Burbrink, Jeff Camper, Michael Douglas, Harry W. Greene, Toby Hibbitts, Robin Lawson, James R. McCranie, Brice P. Noonan, Christopher L. Parkinson, Theodora Pinou, R. Alexander Pyron, Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles, and Van Wallach, and a majority of those responding agreed.