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 Rough Earth Snake, Virginia striatula
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Virginia is a genus of small, terrestrial, colubrid snakes, native to the United States. They are commonly referred to as earth snakes.
Contents |
Species
- Mountain Earth Snake, Virginia pulchra (Richmond, 1954)
- Rough Earth Snake, Virginia striatula (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Smooth Earth Snake, Virginia valeriae (Baird & Girard, 1853)
Distribution
- V. pulchra - eastern United States, from Pennsylvania to West Virginia
- V. striatula - southeastern United States, from Oklahoma and Texas to North Carolina and Florida.
- V. valeriae - eastern half of the United States, from Iowa and Texas to Pennsylvania and Florida.
Ranges overlap, it is unknown if hybridization occurs.
Description
Virginia species are small snakes, rarely exceeding 10 inches in length. They are normally a uniform brown color, with a lighter colored underside. Differentiating species can be difficult, but V. valeriae has smooth scales, where as V. striatula has keeled scales.
Habitat & diet
Virginia species are fossorial, spending the vast majority of their time buried in loose soil, under rotting logs, or in leaf litter. They eat earthworms and soft bodied arthropods. They themselves are a food source for other species of snake, like the coral snake.
