NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Striped Whipsnake
Masticophis taeniatus (Hallowell, 1852)
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 striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus) is a species of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is closely related to the California whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis). The striped whipsnake is native to the western United States and adjacent northern Mexico.
Wikipedia contributors, Striped whipsnake; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:38:01.565612+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Masticophis taeniatus (Hallowell, 1852)
- Name authority
- (Hallowell, 1852)
- Common name
- Striped Whipsnake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Masticophis
- 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
- genusMasticophis
- speciesMasticophis taeniatus (Hallowell, 1852)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Masticophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Baja California Striped Whip SnakeMasticophis aurigulus (Cope, 1861) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ajo Mountain Whipsnake [lineolatus]Masticophis bilineatus Jan, 1863 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| CoachwhipMasticophis flagellum (Shaw, 1802) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Baja California CoachwhipMasticophis fuliginosus (Cope, 1895) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Neotropical Whip SnakeMasticophis mentovarius (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Schott's WhipsnakeMasticophis schotti Baird & Girard, 1853 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Isla San Esteban WhipsnakeMasticophis slevini Lowe & Norris, 1955 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Masticophis lineatus Bocourt, 1890 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| CoachwhipMasticophis piceus (Cope, 1892) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Leptophis taeniata Hallowell, 1852 Hallowell, 1852 | synonym |
| Masticophis ornatus Baird & Girard, 1853 Baird & Girard, 1853 | synonym |
| Coluber taeniatus girardi Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 | 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=Masticophis&species=taeniatus 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:88L9W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.