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Pantherophis obsoletus (Say, 1823) - Western Ratsnake

Maps

Locality Map

Locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

County Map

County map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
County map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Historical Locality Map

Historical locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Historical locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that more recent records might conceal underlying older records.
Map created 25 February 2020.

Historical County Map

Historical county map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Historical county map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that only the most recent county record for each county is shown.
Map created 25 February 2020.

Ecological Drainage Locality Map

Ecological Drainage Units map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Ecological Drainage Units locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Natural Divisions Locality Map

Natural Divisions locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Natural Divisions and Sections locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Major Watersheds Locality Map

Major watersheds map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Major Watersheds locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Level I Ecoregion Locality Map

Level I Ecoregions map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Level I Ecoregion locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Level II Ecoregion Locality Map

Level II Ecoregions map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Level II Ecoregion locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Level III Ecoregion Locality Map

Level III Ecoregions map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Level III Ecoregion locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Level IV Ecoregion Locality Map

Level IV Ecoregions map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake)
Level IV Ecoregion locality map for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake).
Map created 25 February 2020.

Native Status

Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake) is native to Missouri.

Collection Summary

Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake) has a total of 545 valid, non-duplicated collections representing 109 counties and 435 localities. There are a total of 171 collectors and 394 collection dates for the species. This results in a total of 420 expeditions for the species, a measure of unique date / collector(s) combinations. The earliest collection year for the species in Missouri is 1889 and its most recent collection year is 2019. The earliest and latest collection dates (independent of earliest and most recent collection years) are January 4 and November 28, respectively. If you have a new record to report, read the New Records section of the FAQ.

Collection Summary by County

Collection summary for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake) by county. Some values are unavailable since some records are represented solely by historical literature reports, which sometimes lack complete collecting data. Click on a county name to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
County Localities Collections Collectors Dates Expeditions Earliest Year Latest Year
Adair 3 3 4 3 3 1939 1961
Andrew 2 2 2 2 2 1959 2017
Audrain 3 3 2 3 3 1939 2000
Barry 4 4 7 4 4 1937 2004
Barton 4 4 4 4 4 1987 2016
Bates 3 3 2 3 3 1958 2007
Benton 3 3 3 3 3 1958 2004
Bollinger 4 4 4 4 4 1972 2019
Boone 8 13 8 12 13 1940 2013
Buchanan 1 1 1 1 1 1982 1982
Butler 3 3 3 3 3 1956 1995
Caldwell 3 3 2 3 3 1954 2017
Callaway 2 2 1 2 2 1998 2018
Camden 5 6 4 4 4 1938 2006
Cape Girardeau 7 10 9 8 9 1923 1996
Carroll 2 2 2 2 2 1961 1983
Carter 4 6 5 5 5 1930 1941
Cass 4 4 3 4 4 1948 2014
Cedar 3 3 2 3 3 1990 2018
Chariton 6 7 3 6 6 1999 2019
Christian 1 1 1 1 1 1967 1967
Clark 2 2 2 2 2 1979 2005
Clay 3 3 3 3 3 1939 1964
Clinton 1 3 1 3 3 1961 1961
Cole 3 3 3 3 3 1938 2006
Cooper 2 2 2 2 2 1991 2013
Crawford 4 4 3 4 4 1934 2003
Dade 4 4 5 4 4 1983 2015
Dallas 6 8 8 6 6 2000 2019
Daviess 2 2 3 2 2 2001 2015
Dent 2 5 6 4 4 1909 2013
Douglas 1 1 2 1 1 1978 1978
Dunklin 5 7 5 7 7 1936 1995
Franklin 4 8 4 5 5 1933 1999
Gasconade 2 2 2 2 2 1934 2007
Gentry 2 3 3 2 2 2000 2019
Greene 29 39 11 29 29 1957 2019
Grundy 9 9 5 6 6 1964 2010
Harrison 1 1 1 1 1 1992 1992
Henry 4 4 11 4 4 1962 2007
Hickory 3 3 4 3 3 1950 2018
Holt 3 3 3 3 3 1953 2019
Howard 5 5 2 5 5 1999 2015
Howell 1 1 1 1 1 1973 1973
Iron 3 3 5 3 3 1991 2011
Jackson 23 35 7 26 29 1932 1983
Jasper 4 4 3 4 4 1982 2018
Jefferson 10 13 2 5 5 1900 1912
Johnson 11 18 12 13 13 1961 2008
Knox 2 2 2 2 2 1961 2012
Laclede 6 6 8 6 6 1999 2012
Lafayette 2 2 4 2 2 1990 2014
Lawrence 5 5 3 5 5 1994 2015
Lewis 2 2 2 2 2 1940 2013
Lincoln 4 5 3 4 4 1963 2013
Linn 3 4 3 4 4 1980 2005
Livingston 2 2 2 2 2 1961 1961
Macon 1 1 1 1 1 1961 1961
Madison 2 2 3 2 2 1982 1994
Maries 2 2 3 2 2 2000 2001
McDonald 3 4 3 4 4 1930 2002
Mercer 1 1 1 1 1 1983 1983
Miller 2 2 4 2 2 1973 2012
Mississippi 5 5 5 5 5 1984 2011
Moniteau 3 3 2 3 3 1966 2015
Monroe 2 2 2 2 2 1933 2001
Montgomery 2 4 4 4 4 1901 2018
Morgan 4 4 2 3 3 2015 2019
New Madrid 2 2 4 2 2 1995 2008
Newton 3 4 4 3 3 1992 2002
Nodaway 1 1 3 1 1 2015 2015
Oregon 6 6 4 5 5 1950 2017
Osage 4 4 3 4 4 1991 2010
Ozark 2 2 4 2 2 2008 2017
Pemiscot 3 4 2 2 3 1923 1923
Perry 7 8 5 5 7 1923 2017
Pettis 5 7 3 4 4 1939 2015
Phelps 4 4 6 4 4 2001 2015
Pike 9 9 8 9 9 1971 2013
Platte 2 2 1 2 2 1983 1983
Polk 8 8 5 8 8 1961 2016
Pulaski 1 1 1 1 1 1957 1957
Putnam 1 1 1 1 1 2016 2016
Ralls 2 2 1 2 2 2002 2002
Randolph 4 4 2 4 4 2000 2010
Ray 2 16 2 7 7 1951 1953
Reynolds 3 3 3 3 3 1933 1940
Ripley 2 2 3 2 2 2001 2007
Saint Charles 7 9 5 8 8 1958 2010
Saint Clair 5 6 5 6 6 1931 2007
Sainte Genevieve 3 3 4 2 2 1988 2010
Saint Francois 3 3 3 3 3 1929 1950
Saint Louis 6 15 7 13 15 1889 2017
Saline 1 1 1 1 1 2015 2015
Scott 4 5 5 4 5 1923 2015
Shannon 5 6 6 5 5 1941 2008
Shelby 3 3 2 3 3 1961 1961
Stoddard 10 15 11 10 10 1937 2005
Stone 5 6 9 6 6 1906 2012
Sullivan 3 3 2 3 3 1961 2012
Taney 5 5 7 4 5 1933 2012
Texas 2 2 2 2 2 1989 2002
Vernon 5 5 4 5 5 1937 2018
Warren 1 1 1 1 1 2009 2009
Washington 1 4 1 2 2 1909 1909
Wayne 8 8 8 8 8 1935 2016
Webster 4 8 4 4 4 1959 2017
Worth 1 1 2 1 1 2001 2001
Wright 3 3 2 2 2 2003 2003

Potential County Records

Potential counties for Pantherophis obsoletus (Western Ratsnake). Counties are listed in descending order of their likelihood of having this species. Click on a county to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
Likelihood County Rationale Ecoregion / Watershed
2 Atchison Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles Missouri Alluvial Plain
2 Atchison Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles Steeply Rolling Loess Prairies
2 Marion Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles Claypan Prairie
2 Schuyler Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
4 De Kalb Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles Rolling Loess Prairies
4 De Kalb Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
6 Scotland Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains

Linnaean Classification

Kingdom:
Animalia - Animals
Phylum:
Chordata - Chordates
Subphylum:
Vertebrata - Vertebrates
Class:
Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 - Reptiles
Order:
Squamata Oppel, 1811 - Lizards and Snakes
Suborder:
Serpentes Linnaeus, 1758 - Snakes
Family:
Colubridae Oppel, 1811 - Typical Harmless Snakes
Genus:
Pantherophis Fitzinger, 1843 - North American Ratsnakes
Species:
Pantherophis obsoletus (Say, 1823) - Western Ratsnake

Recent Taxonomic Synonyms