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Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans)

[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2104″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]Glossy Snake, N of Saint David, Cochise Co. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2334″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Arizona elegans, Yuma Co, AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2335″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Arizona elegans, Maricopa Co., AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2337″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Glossy Snake, Yuma Desert, Yuma Co. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2336″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Photo by Robert L. Bezy & Kathryn Bolles[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2338″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Glossy Snake, Photo by Young Cage[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2340″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Glossy Snake, Photo by Young Cage[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2339″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Glossy Snake, Photo by Young Cage[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Description

The Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans) grows to a maximum of 1780 mm total length (TL), but most are under 1000 mm.  This is a moderately-slender species that resembles a Ratsnake or Gophersnake; it is most closely related to the Ratsnake genera Bogertophis and Pseudoelaphe, and the Long-nosed Snake, Rhinocheilus (Pyron et al. 2013).  The dorsum is cream, tan, or yellowish with 41-83 irregular mid-dorsal dark blotches or bars on the body, some of which may be split along the mid-dorsal line, and 12-27 similar dorsal blotches or bars on the tail.  Smaller, less well-defined blotches are on the sides of the snake.  The underside is white or cream and unmarked. The lower jaw is somewhat countersunk.  The pupils are round to slightly elliptical. Glossy Snakes have smooth and glossy dorsal scales that, in our area, are arranged in 25-29 rows at mid-body. Usually one (rarely 2) loreals are present on each side, and the anal plate is undivided. The largest males are shorter than the largest females and they have proportionally longer tails (Ernst and Ernst 2003).

Nine subspecies are recognized, seven of which occur in the United States.  The Desert Glossy Snake (A. e. eburnata), Arizona Glossy Snake (A. e. noctivaga), and the Painted Desert Glossy Snake (A. e. philipi) occur in Arizona.  The latter two are present in the 100-Mile Circle.  The Painted Desert Glossy Snake, which in our area only occurs in eastern Cochise County, has a proportionally longer tail (mean of 16.4% of TL in males and 14.8% of TL in females) than the Arizona Glossy Snake (mean tail length of 13.7% in males and 12.7% in females). Intergradation occurs along distributional boundaries between subspecies.

The Glossy Snake probably most closely resembles the Gophersnake, but that species has keeled dorsal scales and grows to a much larger size (2337 mm TL).  Juvenile Green Ratsnakes resemble Glossy Snakes, but their elongated heads are distinctly broader than the neck and the anal plate is divided. Small Glossy Snakes may be mistaken for Night Snakes (Hypsiglena), but they are smaller (< 642 mm TL), have dark blotches on the neck, vertically elliptical pupils, and a divided anal plate.

The Glossy Snake in our area is mostly a valley and bajada species at elevations of about 350-1340 m.  In New Mexico, the Glossy Snake has been documented to 2200 m (Degenhardt et al. 1996); hence, it may have been overlooked at higher elevations in southeastern Arizona. Records in the Circle extend into the foothills and arroyos of desert mountain ranges, such as the Tucson Mountains.  It has not been recorded within the boundaries of Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, although it occurs nearby, just downslope (Lazaroff et al. 2006).  In the 100-mile Circle, the Glossy Snake is known from Sonoran Desertscrub (both the Lower Colorado River and Arizona Upland subdivisions), Chihuahuan Desertscrub, and semi-desert grassland.  This snake is a proficient burrower in loose sandy or moderately gravelly soils, and its countersunk jaw suggests it is adapted to a fossorial lifestyle. However, it also uses rodent burrows, rocks, and other surface debris for cover.

The Glossy Snake is well-distributed within the Arizona portion of the Circle below 1340 m, but is not known from mountains above that elevation, or high grassland valleys, such as the Sonoita Valley and the San Rafael Valley. No records or specimens of Glossy Snakes are known from the Sonora portion of the 100-mile Circle, although they likely occur at elevations and in open vegetation communities there similar to those used by the species in Arizona.  Range wide, the Glossy Snake occurs from central California east to Nebraska and eastern Texas, and south to Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, and Sinaloa.

Glossy Snakes are relatively uncommon in the 100-Mile Circle. Mendelson and Jennings (1992) found that the species declined along Highway 80 from 1959-61 to 1987-89, and attributed that decline to desertification of grasslands.  They state that the Glossy Snake is a grassland species; however, across southern Arizona, it also occurs in Chihuahuan and Sonoran desertscrub, and is fairly abundant in the arid deserts around Yuma.  As a result, its apparent decline on Highway 80 may be a result of something other than deterioration of grasslands. The species was the eleventh most common snake (4.1% of the total) found on Highway 85 through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Rosen and Lowe 1996) and it made up 3.3 and 1.7% of snakes found on the Maricopa Road (Route 238) and the Sun Valley Parkway, respectively, near Phoenix (Jones et al. 2011).

This is primarily a nocturnal species, although it may engage in crepuscular and limited diurnal activity, as well. Most collections and observations in the Circle are from March into October, with a few from February and November.  Females mature at about 660 mm TL. Sperm produced by males in July-September is probably stored overwinter for mating in April-June. Two captive A. e. noctivaga from southern Arizona engaged in courtship the first week of June (pers. observation). Clutches of 3-24 eggs (mean = 7.5-8.4) are laid from late May to late July.  A female collected from the Avra Valley (UAZ 55399) laid four eggs on 25-26 June, which hatched two months later. Hatchlings are 170-290 mm TL and resemble small adults.

Glossy Snakes eat primarily vertebrates, especially rodents, lizards, small snakes, and small birds, but insects have also been reported in the diet. Most prey is constricted. When first encountered, a Glossy Snake may vibrate its tail and smear its captor with musk.  Some will strike and bite (particularly males), but most Glossy Snakes are quite gentle.

The Glossy Snake is listed as a species of least concern on the 2013 IUCN Red List.  With a valid Arizona hunting license, four can be taken per year or held in possession. The Glossy Snake is eliminated by agricultural and urban development.

Suggested Reading:

Aldridge, R.D. 2001. Reproductive anatomy, mating season and cost of reproduction in the Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans). Amphibia-Reptilia 22 (2): 243-25.

Brennan, T.C., and A.T. Holycross. 2006. Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ.

Degenhardt, W.G., C.W. Painter, and A.H. Price. 1996.  Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.

Ernst, C.H., and E.M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.

Goldberg, S.R. 2000. Reproduction in the Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans (Serpentes: Colubridae) from California. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 99(2):105-109.

Jones, T.R., R.D. Babb, F.R. Hensley, C. LiWanPo, and B.K. Sullivan. 2011. Sonoran Desert snake communities at two sites: Concordance and effects of increased road traffic. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 6:61-71.

Lazaroff, D.W., P.C. Rosen, and C.H. Lowe. 2006. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Their Habitats at Sabino Canyon. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Mendelson, J.R., III, and W.B. Jennings. 1992. Shifts in the relative abundance of snakes in a desert grassland. Journal of Herpetology 26(1):38-45.

Pyron, R.A., F.T. Burbrink, & J.J. Wiens. 2013. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. Evolutionary Biology 13:93-146.

Rodgríguez-Robles, J.A., C.J. Bell, and H.W Greene. 1999. Food habits of the Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans, with comparisons to the diet of sympatric Long-nosed Snakes, Rhinocheilus lecontei. Journal of Herpetology 33(1):87-92.

Rosen, P.C., and C.H. Lowe. 1996. Ecology of the amphibians and reptiles at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. USDI, National Biological Service, Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Arizona and the National Park Service, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Technical Report No. 53.

Author: Jim Rorabaugh

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