Eastern Fox Snake Mintonius vulpinus  (Baird & Girard, 1853)
An adult specimen from Crane Creek State Park, Ohio Image © John Mathews, 2010
Taxonomic Comments:
Collins (1991 Herpetological Review 22(2): 42-43), in a peer-reviewed article, recommended that this previously defined, diagnosed, and allopatric taxon be recognized as a distinct species, a more conservative taxonomy than that in previous use. Collins (1997 Herpetological Circular 25: 1-40) presented this proposed change to his snake systematist group, composed of John E. Cadle, Brian I. Crother, Harry W. Greene, L. Lee Grismer, James A. MacMahon, James R. McCranie, and Samuel S. Sweet, and the majority of those individuals responding recommended that gloydi be so recognized. Collins (1997) followed that recommendation. Harding (1997 Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. xvi + 378 pp.) recognized this taxon as a distinct species. Powell, Collins and Hooper (1998 A Key to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence. vi + 131 pp.) recognized this lineage as a species distinct from E. vulpina. Burbrink & Lawson (2007 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 173-189), using DNA evidence, placed this species in the genus Pituophis. Collins, Joseph T. & Travis W. Taggart (2008. An alternative classification of the New World Rat Snakes (genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae]). Journal of Kansas Herpetology 26: 16-18) placed this species in a new genus, Mintonius. Brian I. Crother, Mary E. White, Jay M. Savage, Mallory E. Eckstut, Matthew R. Graham & David W. Gardner (2011. International Scholarly Research Network Zoology 2011(436049): 1-15) synonymized Mintonius gloydi with Mintonius vulpinus, a species they restrict to east of the Mississippi River. Common name remains Eastern Fox Snake.