NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Crotalus viridis (Rafinesque, 1818)
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 prairie rattlesnake or Great Plains rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) is a venomous pit viper species native to the western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. Currently, two subspecies are recognized, including the prairie rattlesnake (C. v. viridis), the nominate subspecies, and the Hopi rattlesnake (C. v. nuntius).
Wikipedia contributors, Crotalus viridis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:22:25.063136+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Crotalus viridis (Rafinesque, 1818)
- Name authority
- (Rafinesque, 1818)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Viperidae
- Genus
- Crotalus
- 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
- genusCrotalus
- speciesCrotalus viridis (Rafinesque, 1818)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Crotalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Speckled RattlesnakeCrotalus pyrrhus (Cope, 1866) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Queretaran Dusky RattlesnakeCrotalus aquilus Klauber, 1952 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican Dusky RattlesnakeCrotalus armstrongi Campbell, 1979 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Isla Angel RattlesnakeCrotalus angelensis Klauber, 1963 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Crotalus lorenzoensis Radcliff & Maslin, 1975 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Aruba Island RattlesnakeCrotalus unicolor Lidth de Jeude, 1887 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Uracoan RattlesnakeCrotalus vegrandis Klauber, 1941 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Horsehead Island speckled rattlesnakeCrotalus polisi Meik, Schaack, Flores-Villela & Streicher, 2018 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Guerreran Pygmy RattlesnakeCrotalus exiguus Campbell & Armstrong, 1979 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Catalina Island RattlesnakeCrotalus catalinensis Cliff, 1954 | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arizona Black RattlesnakeCrotalus cerberus (Coues, 1875) | ViperidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Crotalus enyo (Cope, 1861) | ViperidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Crotalus confluentus nuntius Klauber, 1935 Klauber, 1935 | synonym |
| Crotalus lecontei Hallowell, 1852 Hallowell, 1852 | synonym |
| Crotalinus viridis Rafinesque, 1818 Rafinesque, 1818 | synonym |
| Crotalus confluentus pulverulentus Cope, 1883 Cope, 1883 | 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=Crotalus&species=viridis 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:ZPDQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.