Storeria


Storeria is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is endemic to North America and Central America. The genus consists of five species, four of which are known as brown snakes, and the other of which is known as the redbelly snake.

Geographic range

Species in the genus Storeria are found in the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada and range south through Mexico and northern Central America.

Etymology

The genus is named in honor of American physician and naturalist David Humphreys Storer.

Description

As their common names imply, most snakes of the genus Storeria are a variant of brown in color. The brown can vary depending on locale, to be almost a brick red in color, to nearly black. They sometimes have a lighter-colored stripe down the center of the back, and small black blotches along the body, and just behind the head. The underside is usually lighter brown-colored, yellow, or in the case of the redbelly snake, reddish in color. They rarely grow beyond in total length.
One of the best means of identification is by scalation. Snakes in the genus Storeria have keeled dorsal scales. The head has no loreal scale, and the postnasal scale touches the preocular scale. So, only two scales are between the nasal opening and the eye.

Ecology

Within their ranges, brown snakes are very commonly found species of snake. They are most frequently found under leaf litter or debris piles, and are sometimes turned up during gardening. They consume a variety of invertebrate prey, including, earthworms, snails and slugs. Their only means of defense are flattening of the body and excretion from the anal scent glands. Brown snakes give birth to live young.

Species and subspecies

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Storeria.

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