Opheodrys
Genus of snakes
title: "Opheodrys" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["opheodrys", "snake-genera", "snakes-of-north-america", "taxa-named-by-leopold-fitzinger"] description: "Genus of snakes" topic_path: "general/opheodrys" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opheodrys" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of snakes ::
| name = Opheodrys | image = | image_caption = Opheodrys aestivus | image2 = | image2_caption = Opheodrys vernalis | taxon = Opheodrys | authority = Fitzinger, 1843 | synonyms = Chlorosoma, Phyllophilophis, Liochlorophis
Opheodrys is a genus of small to medium-sized nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as green snakes. In North America the genus consists of two distinct species. As their common names imply, the rough green snake has keeled dorsal scales, whereas the smooth green snake has smooth dorsal scales.
Taxonomy
The genus Opheodrys at one time included two Asian species: O. herminae, which is endemic to Japan, and O. major, which is endemic to Central/South China, Taiwan, N. Vietnam, and Laos. These were removed from the genus by Cundall in 1981
- Opheodrys herminae (Boettger, 1895) = Ptyas herminae (Boettger, 1895) – Sakashima green snake
- Opheodrys major (Günther, 1858) = Ptyas major (Günther, 1858) – greater green snake
Subspecies
The following subspecies of Opheodrys are no longer recognized by ITIS:
- Opheodrys aestivus aestivus (Linnaeus, 1766) – northern rough green snake
- Opheodrys aestivus carinatus Grobman, 1984 – Florida rough green snake
- Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi Grobman, 1941 – western smooth green snake
- Opheodrys vernalis borealis Grobman, 1992 – northern smooth green snake
- Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (Harlan, 1827) – eastern smooth green snake.
However, as of May 2023, The Reptile Database still recognizes the subspecies O. aestivus carinatus in addition to the nominotypical subspecies O. a. aestivus.
Species
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Opheodrys_vernalis_(Stanton_6).jpg" caption="Smooth green snake (''O. vernalis'')"] ::
The following two species are recognized as being valid. ::data[format=table title=""]
| Image | Species | Common name |
|---|---|---|
| Opheodrys aestivus | rough green snake | |
| [[File:Smooth Green Snake (Opheodrys vernalis) (27402589353).jpg | frameless]] | Opheodrys vernalis |
| :: |
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Opheodrys.
Geographic range
Green snakes of the genus Opheodrys are found in the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico.
Description
Green snakes are so named because they are typically solid green in color dorsally, with a cream-colored or yellow underside. They are thin-bodied snakes that rarely exceed 90 cm (around 36 inches) in length. They have large eyes and blunt shaped heads.
Habitat
Green snakes are often found in dense, low lying vegetation near a permanent water source.
Behavior
Green snakes have been known to follow human activity. They rely on their color for camouflage and will usually attempt to escape if threatened.
Diet
Their primary diet is soft-bodied arthropods, including crickets, spiders, moths, butterflies, and grasshoppers.
Reproduction
Green snakes of the genus Opheodrys are oviparous.
References
References
- [[Albert Hazen Wright. Wright AH]], [[species:Anna Allen Wright. Wright AA]] (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes). (Genus ''Opheodrys'', pp. 551–564, Figures 164–166, Map 43).
- "CNAH".
- {{EMBL species
- {{EMBL species
- "''Opheodrys''. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System)".
- {{EMBL species
- [[Hobart Muir Smith. Smith HM]], [[species:Edmund Darrell Brodie Jr.. Brodie ED Jr]] (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. {{ISBN. 0-307-13666-3. (''Opheodrys'', pp. 188–189).
- [[Roger Conant (herpetologist). Conant R]] (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-42. {{ISBN. 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), {{ISBN. 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (''Opheodrys'', pp. 184–186 + Plate 25 + Maps 134–135).
- [[John L. Behler. Behler JL]], [[species:Frederic Wayne King. King FW]] (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. {{ISBN. 0-394-50824-6. (''Opheodrys'', pp. 639–641+ Plates 475–477).
- [[Karl Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt KP]], [[Delbert Dwight Davis. Davis DD]] (1941). ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (''Opheodrys'', pp. 118–121, Figures 27–28 + Plate 12 on p. 332).
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