NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Plains Garter Snake
Thamnophis radix (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 plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) is a species of garter snake native to most of the central United States as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe from its head to tail, and the rest of its body is mainly a gray-green color. The snake is commonly found living near water sources such as streams and ponds, but can also be found in urban areas and vacant lots. Although the IUCN lists the species as "Least Concern", some states have given it their own special status. This species is mildly venomous, although the venom is not toxic to humans.
Wikipedia contributors, Plains garter snake; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:25:27.143197+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Thamnophis radix (Baird & Girard, 1853)
- Name authority
- (Baird & Girard, 1853)
- Common name
- Plains Garter Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Thamnophis
- 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
- subfamilyNatricinae
- genusThamnophis
- speciesThamnophis radix (Baird & Girard, 1853)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Thamnophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter SnakeThamnophis atratus Kennicott, 1860 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Conant's GartersnakeThamnophis bogerti Rossman & Burbrink, 2005 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Terrestrial Garter SnakeThamnophis elegans (Baird & Girard, 1853) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Montane Garter SnakeThamnophis exsul Rossman, 1969 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Giant Garter SnakeThamnophis gigas Fitch, 1940 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Checkered Garter SnakeThamnophis marcianus (Baird & Girard, 1853) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tamaulipan Montane Garter SnakeThamnophis mendax Walker, 1955 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northwestern Garter SnakeThamnophis ordinoides (Baird & Girard, 1852) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Ribbon SnakeThamnophis proximus (Say, 1823) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern RibbonsnakeThamnophis saurita (Linnaeus, 1766) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Short-tail Alpine Garter SnakeThamnophis scaliger (Jan, 1863) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Eutainia haydenii Kennicott, 1860 Kennicott, 1860 | synonym |
| Eutainia radix Baird & Girard, 1853 Baird & Girard, 1853 | synonym |
| Eutainia radix Kennicott, 1860 Kennicott, 1860 | synonym |
| Eutaenia radix twiningi Coues & Yarrow, 1878 Coues & Yarrow, 1878 | 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=Thamnophis&species=radix 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:7BV8M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.