# Ratsnake Taxonomy **URL:** \ **Category:** Nature Talk\ **Created:** [April 24, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/ratsnake-taxonomy/64336 "2025-04-24T19:04:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnkeisers](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/johnkeisers/32/48287_2.png) [@johnkeisers](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/johnkeisers)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/ratsnake-taxonomy/64336/1 "2025-04-24T19:04:01Z")
This is about _Pantherophis_, the ratsnakes endemic to the eastern regions of North America. SSAR and CNAH substituted _P. alleghaniensis_ for _P. spiloides_, and resurrected _P. quadrivittatus_. For the eastern part of the USA we now have: _P. alleghaniensis_ — Central Ratsnake _P. quadrivittatus_ — Yellow Ratsnake The geographic range of _P. spiloides_ (Gray Ratsnake) extended further east and therefore overlapped with the locality of Holbrook’s type specimen (_Coluber alleghaniensis_, 1836) of _P. alleghaniensis_ in Virginia. Thus, the former _P. spiloides_ (Gray Ratsnake) becomes _P. alleghaniensis_, and the former _P. alleghaniensis_ (Eastern Ratsnake) becomes _P. quadrivittatus_ (Yellow Ratsnake) . As I understand it, _P. spiloides_ (Gray Ratsnake) is not a valid taxon anymore, and the species complex Eastern/Gray is no longer appropriate. I don’t know what will happen with the ratsnakes along the Atlantic coast in a few of the southern states. When you look at the distribution map, it seems possible that a species complex Central/Yellow exists. The complex Eastern/Gray was used because there were two genetic lineages involved. It is unclear to me how this revision of the taxa solved the issue of Burbrink’s genetic lineages. Do we now have a single species (_P. alleghaniensis_) that represents a ‘hybrid’? New SSAR name list (9th edition, published in March 2025): [https://ssarherps.org/publications/north-american-checklist/](https://ssarherps.org/publications/north-american-checklist/) [https://cnah.org/taxon.aspx?taxon=Pantherophis\_alleghaniensis](https://cnah.org/taxon.aspx?taxon=Pantherophis_alleghaniensis) [https://snakeevolution.org/rangemaps/ratrangereduced.jpg](https://snakeevolution.org/rangemaps/ratrangereduced.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/ratsnake-taxonomy/64336/2 "2025-04-24T19:21:49Z")
Hi John, welcome to the iNaturalist forum. To discuss how specific species/taxa should be treated on iNaturalist it’s best to create a flag on the taxon so that everyone can discuss it together there. One reason being that not everyone uses the forum, another is so that there is a record of the discussion attached to the taxon. To create a flag on a taxon you can go to the taxon page then click curation and flag for curation. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/ratsnake-taxonomy/64336/3 "2025-04-24T19:52:51Z")
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