NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Agkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969
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 Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti) is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in southern Georgia and the Florida peninsula in nearly every type of wetlands in the region, including brackish water and offshore islands. However, it is not entirely dependent on water and is occasionally encountered as far as a mile (1.6 km.) from surface water. Agkistrodon conanti venom is very hemolytic and known to cause relatively extensive necrosis compared to many snake venoms, and can sometimes be lethal with a 17% mortality rate. It is often confused with harmless watersnakes (Nerodia) and other semi-aquatic species with which it shares its habitat. It is a moderately large, thick bodied snake, adults averaging 30 to 48 inches (76-122 cm) in length, but rare individuals can exceed 6 feet (183 cm). The head is marked with conspicuous black cheek stripes on each side, set off by light cream or white stripes above and below.
Wikipedia contributors, Florida cottonmouth; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:15:52.999996+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Agkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969
- Name authority
- Gloyd, 1969
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Agkistrodon
- 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
- familyViperidae
- subfamilyCrotalinae
- genusAgkistrodon
- speciesAgkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Agkistrodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Southern CopperheadAgkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| CantilAgkistrodon bilineatus Günther, 1863 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Agkistrodon piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican MoccasinAgkistrodon taylori Burger & Robertson, 1951 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gloyd’s MoccasinAgkistrodon howardgloydi Conant, 1984 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican MoccasinAgkistrodon russeolus Gloyd, 1972 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=Agkistrodon&species=conanti 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:87NSF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.