Occurrence Dot Map:

Data from 840 occurrences (705 museum vouchers). - 409 museum vouchers > 30 yrs. - 296 museum vouchers < 30 yrs. - 135 observations. - 1 literature observation. 499 unique localities.

Collection/Observation Date Quartile Plot:

Collection/Observation by Hour: 1 6 12 18 24

Observation Type: 86 - DOR 42 - AOR 31 - Active, off-road 41 - Under cover

Public Lands Records: 1 - Atchison State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area 1 - Baker University Wetlands 1 - Bourbon State Fishing Lake 3 - Bourbon Wildlife Area 2 - Brown State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area 1 - Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area 1 - Clinton Lake 6 - Clinton Lake Project Lands 1 - Clinton State Park 5 - Clinton Wildlife Area 1 - Crawford State Park 5 - Fort Leavenworth 8 - Fort Riley 2 - Glen Elder Reservoir 1 - Glen Elder Wildlife Area 1 - Hollister Wildlife Area 1 - Kanopolis Lake 1 - Kanopolis State Park 1 - Leavenworth State Fishing Lake 1 - Louisburg-Middlecreek State Fishing Lake 2 - Lovewell Wildlife Area 1 - Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge 1 - Marais Des Cygnes Wildlife Area 1 - Mcpherson State Fishing Lake 3 - Meade State Park 2 - Meade Wildlife Area 1 - Melvern Wildlife Area 4 - Mined Land Wildlife Area 2 - Nemaha Wildlife Area 3 - Quivira National Wildlife Refuge 4 - Sand Prairie Natural History Reservation 2 - Shawnee State Fishing Lake 2 - Smoky Hill Weapons Range 1 - St. Francis Wildlife Area 2 - Tuttle Creek Lake Wildlife Area 2 - Woodson State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area

Taxonomy:
Specimens from Meade and Seward counties differ markedly from other individuals throughout the range of this taxon in Kansas, in the they lack red pigment between the stripes, and have a bright red doral stripe. The Seward and Meade county specimens, along with specimens from adjacent Oklahoma constitute a northern relict population, that is characteristic of Thamnophis sirtalis from west central Texas.
The populations in Kansas are distinct, allopatric (parapatric at best) and there is no evidence of intergradation within or among the two color patterns. Some authors (Fitch and Maslin, 1961; Irwin, 1992) have referred the Meade County specimens to the race Thamnophis sirtalis annectans. Systematic work on this wide-ranging taxon is needed and much anticipated.

Fossil Record:
Pleistocene fossil specimens are known from Jewell County.

Remarks:
Not a target species for this project. However, all records will be kept.

References:
1961. Fitch, Henry S. and T. P. Maslin. Occurrence of the garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History. 13(5): pp. 289-308.
1992. Irwin, Kelly J.. Geographic distribution: Thamnophis sirtalis annectens. Herpetological Review. 23(1): pp. 28.