Texas rat snake
| Texas rat snake | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Pantherophis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | P. o. lindheimeri |
| Trinomial name | |
| Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Texas rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) is a subspecies of the black rat snake, a nonvenomous colubrid. It is found in the United States, primarily within the state of Texas, but its range extends into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It intergrades with other subspecies of Elaphe obsoleta, so exact range boundaries are impossible to distinguish. The epithet lindheimeri is to honor the German-American naturalist Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer, who collected the first specimen in New Braunfels, Texas.