Striped Road Guarder

Striped Road Guarder, Conophis vittatus

Striped Road Guarder, Conophis vittatus. Photograph taken in the greater Zihuantanejo area, Guerrero, November 2019. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

The Striped Road Guarder, Conophis vittatus, is a member of the Colubridae family of North American Racers, Coachwhips, and Whipsnakes. The Colubridae family comprises two-thirds of the world’s snake population with approximately two-thousand species placed in two-hundred and fifty-seven genera. Many Colubrids are classified as venomous but very few are considered to be dangerous to humans. There are three species in the Conophis genus. The Striped Road Guarder is kown in Mexico as Culebra Guarda Caminos Rayada.

Striped Road Guarders are small and slender in stature with a narrow flat head that is distinctly separated from their body. They have medium-sized eyes with round black pupils. They are a uniform tan color dorsally with three prominent black stripes that run lengthwise along their body; one on the center of their back from behind their head to their tail, and one on each side that runs from their mouth through their eyes to their tail. Their ventral surface is lighter than their dorsal surface. They reach a maximum length of 85 cm (2 feet 9 inches), with a strongly tapered tail that is approximately 32% of their total length.

Striped Road Guarders are diurnal and terrestrial. They predominantly consume lizards (mainly belonging to the genus Aspidoscelis and Sceloporus) supplemented with small mammals, Snakes, Frogs, and Toads. Reproduction is oviparous. The Striped Road Guarder is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Striped Road Guarder is endemic to Mexico and found within the Pacific Slope from northern Nayarit to central Chiapas, including Balsas Basin and the Oaxacan Valley in Morelos and Puebla. Their elevational range extends from sea level to approximately 1,000 m (3,300 feet). They occupy a wide variety of habitats including tropical dry forests, semi-deciduous forest, grassland, cultivated land, mangroves, and urban areas.

The Striped Road Guarder may be confused with the Mexican Patchnose Snake, Salvadora mexicana, due to their similar appearances and overlapping ranges. These species can be differentiated visually. While the Mexican Patchnose Snake also has longitudinal dark stripes, they are equal to or larger in size than the lighter interstripes and do not continue onto the head.

From a conservation perspective, the Striped Road Guarder is currently considered to be of Least Concern due to their wide range and large population size. No major threats have been identified for this species. The Striped Road Guarder is not considered to be dangerous to humans, as they are non-venomous or possess only mild venom.