Regal Black-striped Snake
Coniophanes imperialis
(Baird and Girard, 1859)
KOH-nee-oh-FAY-neez — im-peer-ee-AL-iss
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.
(, Museum Voucher)
(, Observation)
(, Literature Record),
(, Citizen Science),
( Fossil)
Open icons indicate questionable records; click on a marker to view details.
Occurrences:; 984 Total; 610 Museum; 374 Other
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Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH. - (Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.01.14.17.56.44)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.24 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Texas
Taxonomic Etymology:
A slim-bodied snake with a lofty, perhaps honorific name.
Coniophanes — From Greek konia (κονία), “dust,” and phanes (φανής), “appearing” or “shining.” The name likely refers to the snake’s cryptic coloration and sudden appearance from dusty or leaf-littered environments—“dust-appearing.”
imperialis — From Latin imperialis, “imperial” or “of the emperor.” Possibly refers to a striking appearance or may be an honorific title without reference to a particular person.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Imperial Snake (Coniophanes imperialis: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Black-banded Snake (Coniophanes imperialis imperialis: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Dust Snake (Coniophanes imperialis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Black-striped Dust Snake (Coniophanes imperialis imperialis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Black-striped Snake (Coniophanes imperialis: Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. 2019. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist
and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and
reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1859 "1858"
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Baird, Spencer F. Reptiles of the Boundary, in: Volume 2, pt. 2. United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, U.S. 34th Congress, 1st Session, Executive Document 108. 1-35pp.
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1939
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Bailey, Joseph R. A systematic revision of the snakes of the genus Coniophanes. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 24(2):1-48
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2019
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Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist
and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and
reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53
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