Pantherophis ramspotti
Pantherophis ramspotti, commonly known as the western fox snake, is a species of rat snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the upper Midwestern United States, west of the Mississippi River. It is nonvenomous.
Etymology
The specific name, ramspotti, is in honor of the late aspiring herpetologist Joseph Ramspott.Species status
Prior to 2011, when P. ramspotti was proposed as a new species, it was thought to be the same species as P. vulpinus, and P. vulpinus was sometimes called the western fox snake. A 2011 paper by Crother, White, Savage, Eckstut, Graham and Gardner proposed that the Mississippi River be established as the species boundary between two species of fox snakes, and that those found to its east be considered P. vulpinus and those found to its west be given the new name P. ramspotti. This proposed that P. vulpinus, which had been known as the western fox snake, become known as the eastern fox snake, and the new P. ramspotti become known as the western fox snake.Geographic range
P. ramspotti is found in the upper Midwestern United States, west of the Mississippi River.The range of the closely related Pantherophis vulpinus is east of the Mississippi River. The two species overlap along the eastern side of the Mississippi River, but there is no intergrade zone.