Eastern Rat Snake Scotophis alleghaniensis  (Holbrook, 1836)
An adult specimen from the Savannah River Plant, Aiken County, South Carolina. Compliments of J. Whitfield Gibbons. Image © Suzanne L. Collins, 2001
Taxonomic Comments:
Based on Burbrink, Lawson & Slowinski (2000 Evolution 54(6): 2107-2118), the name obsoleta is restricted to the newly defined lineage (= species) west of the Mississippi River; thus, the name of the eastern lineage would become Elaphe alleghaniensis (Holbrook 1836). Burbrink (2001 Herpetological Monographs 15: 1-53), using external morphology, demonstrated that some eastern U.S. populations of this snake, including E. obsoleta quadrivittata and E. obsoleta rossalleni, actually consist of a distinct species, Elaphe alleghaniensis (Holbrook, 1836). The standard common name for Elaphe alleghaniensis is Eastern Rat Snake. 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 Burbrink, Lawson, & Slowinski (2000 op. cit.) and Burbrink (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. 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) resurrected the generic name Scotophis for this species. Standard common name remains Eastern Rat Snake.