NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ground Snake
Sonora semiannulata Baird & Girard, 1853
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The western ground snake (Sonora semiannulata) is a species of small, harmless colubrid snake. The species is endemic to North America. Its patterning and coloration can vary widely, even within the same geographic region. Another common name is miter snake referring to the head marking which suggests a bishop's miter; the synonym "episcopus " (Latin for "bishop") is a similar allusion.
Wikipedia contributors, Western ground snake; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:06.108403+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sonora semiannulata Baird & Girard, 1853
- Name authority
- Baird & Girard, 1853
- Common name
- Ground Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Sonora
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- subfamilyColubrinae
- genusSonora
- speciesSonora semiannulata Baird & Girard, 1853
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sonora. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ground SnakeSonora episcopa (Kennicott, 1859) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Shovelnose SnakeSonora occipitalis (Hallowell, 1854) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Taylor’s Ground SnakeSonora taylori (Boulenger, 1894) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sonora straminea (Cope, 1860) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Banded Sand SnakeSonora fasciata (Cope, 1892) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Banded Sand SnakeSonora cincta (Cope, 1861) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Filetail Ground SnakeSonora aemula (Cope, 1879) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Michoacán Ground SnakeSonora michoacanensis (Dugès, 1885) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Michoacán Ground SnakeSonora mutabilis Stickel, 1943 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Contia nuchalis Schenkel, 1901 Schenkel, 1901 | synonym |
| Contia episcopa torquata Cope, 1880 Cope, 1880 | synonym |
| Sonora semiannulata blanchardi Stickel, 1938 Stickel, 1938 | synonym |
| Lamprosoma episcopum Kennicott ex Baird, 1859 Kennicott ex Baird, 1859 | ambiguous synonym |
| Sonora bancroftae Klauber, 1943 Klauber, 1943 | synonym |
| Contia isozona Cope, 1866 Cope, 1866 | synonym |
| Sonora miniata linearis Stickel, 1938 Stickel, 1938 | synonym |
| Sonora miniata miniata Stickel, 1938 Stickel, 1938 | synonym |
| Sonora semiannulata gloydi Stickel, 1938 Stickel, 1938 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Sonora&species=semiannulata Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4Y9WP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.