TULANE STUDIES IN ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY Volume 16, Number 2 February 25, 1970 THE COACH WHIP SNAKE, MASTICOPHIS FLAGELLUM (SHAW): TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION^ LARRY DAVID WILSON Department of Biology, Uiiivcrsitij of Sotithwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501 CONTENTS Abstract 31 Introduction 32 Historical Summary 33 Validity of the Genus Mastkophis 33 The flagelhwi Group of Mastkophis 34 Composition of the Species Mastkophis flagellnni 35 Subspecies Accounts 36 Masticophis flagellum jlagelhmi ( Shaw ) 36 Masticophis flagellum testaceus ( Say ) 42 Masticophis flagellum lineatidus Smith 47 Masticophis flagelh/m picens (Cope) 51 Masticophis jlagellmn ruddocki Brattstrom and Warren 55 Masticophis flagellinn cingidiim Lowe and Wood 58 Masticophis flagelhmi fidiginosKS (Cope) 63 Key to the Subspecies of Adult Masticophis flagellum 73 Significance and Evolution of Color Pattern _. 74 Variation in Scuttelation and Proportions 77 Distribution and Habitat 89 Summary and Conclusions 93 Acknowledgments 94 Literature Cited 95 Abstract the species flagcUtmi to the otlier species within tlie genus Maslieophis are hriefly The taxonomy and distribution or Mas-considered. ticophis flagellum (Shaw) are discussed. 5i^ subspecies recognized previously by The use of the generic name Masticophis ^t^gr authors are retained, and fuUgim)sus instead of Coluber and the relationship of Cope is resurrected from synonymy for another subspecies. The concept of the 1 This work was completed in partial fulfill-subspecies cingulum is modified. A dis-ment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at cussion of color pattern \ariation is in-Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Lou-eluded under each subspecies heading, isiana. The tjpes of variation illustrated !)>• the Editorial Committee for This Paper: Mr. Roger Conant, Director and Curator of Reptiles, Philadelphia Zoological Gar-den, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 Dr. Albert Schwartz, Department of Biology, Miami-Dade Junior College, Miami, Florida 31
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