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Texas lined snake

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Texas lined snake
Tropidoclonion lineatum texanum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Tropidoclonion
Species:
Subspecies:
T. l. texanum
Trinomial name
Tropidoclonion lineatum texanum
Ramsey, 1953

The Texas lined snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum texanum) is a subspecies of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The subspecies is endemic to the United States.

Geographic range

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The Texas lined snake is found in the southcentral United States, primarily in the state of Texas.[1]

Habitat

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T. l. texanum is a relatively common fossorial subspecies, and spends most of its time buried in leaf litter.

Diet

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The Texas lined snake preys upon earthworms.[1]

Description

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T. l. texanum is typically olive green to dark brown in color, with a distinctive yellow or cream-colored stripe down the center of the back. It has a small head and small eyes. It differs from other subspecies of T. lineatum by having fewer subcaudals: 33 or fewer in females, 40 or fewer in males.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Tropidoclonion lineatum and T. l. texanum, pp. 166-167 + Plate 24 + Map 123).
  2. ^ Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Tropidoclonion lineatum texanum, p. 152).

Further reading

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  • Ramsey LW (1953). "The Lined Snake, Tropidoclonion lineatum (Hallowell)". Herpetologica 9 (1): 7-24. (Tropidoclonion lineatum texanum, new subspecies).
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