This checklist has been prepared based upon numerous field surveys done by the author between 1975 and 2007 in conjunction with a review of vouchered specimens in the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at Texas A & M University and various literature records.
Guadalupe County, located east of San Antonio encompasses 714 square miles. The county is bisected by the Guadalupe River and consists of level to slightly rolling terrain with sandy loam and blackland soils. The county is between 450 and 700 feet above sea level and has an average annual rainfall of approximately 31 inches.
The following checklist contains 54 species (21 snakes, 11 lizards, 8 turtles, 11 frogs and toads, and 3 salamanders) that are known to occur in the county. There are several additional species that are known to occur in adjacent counties and that could be expected to possibly occur in Guadalupe County. Two species occuring in Guadalupe County are listed as threatened species and are protected under current state law.
SNAKES
South Texas Blind Snake, Leptotyphlops dulcis rubellum
Diamondback Water Snake, Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer
Blotched Water Snake, Nerodia erythrogaster transversa
Checkered Garter Snake, Thamnophis marcianus marcianus
Redstripe Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus
Lined Snake, Tropidoclonion lineatum
Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platirhinos
Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus
Western Coachwhip, Masticophis flagellum testaceus
Yellowbelly Racer, Coluber constrictor flaviventris
Bull Snake, Pituophis catenifer sayi
Western Rat Snake, Pantherophis obsoletus
Southern Plains Rat Snake, Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorum
Desert Kingsnake x Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula splendida x Lampropeltis getula holbrookia
Rough Earth Snake, Virginia striatula
Texas Longnose Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus
Flathead Snake, Tantilla gracilis
Texas Coral Snake, Micrurus tener tener * *
Broad-Banded Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus * *
Western Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus leucstoma * *
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox * *
LIZARDS
Mediterranean Gecko - Hemidactylus turcicus (Introduced)
Northern Green Anole - Anolis carolinensis carolinensis
Northern Keeled Earless Lizard - Holbrookia propinqua
Texas Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma cornutum (Protected)
Texas Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus olivaceus
Prairie Lizard - Sceloporus consobrinus
Rosebelly Lizard - Sceloporus variabilis marmoratus
Eastern Tree Lizard - Urosaurus ornatus
Ground Skink - Scincella lateralis
Texas Spotted Whiptail Lizard - Cnemidophorus gularis gularis
Six-lined Racerunner - Cmenidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus
TURTLES
Common Musk Turtle - Sternotherus odoratus
Yellow Mud Turtle - Kinosternon flavescens
Cagle's Map Turtle - Graptemys caglei
Texas River Cooter - Pseudemys texana
Red-eared Slider - Trachemys scripta elegans
Three-toed Box Turtle - Terrapene carolina triunguis
Ornate Box Turtle - Terrapene ornata ornata
Texas Tortoise - Gopherus berlandieri (Protected)
FR0GS AND TOADS
Blanchard's Cricket Frog - Acris crepitans blanchardi
Green Treefrog - Hyla cinerea
Gray Treefrog - Hyla versicolor
Spotted Chorus Frog - Pseudacris clarkii
Rio Grande Chirping Frog - Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi
Rio Grande Leopard Frog - Rana berlandieri
Southern Leopard Frog - Rana sphenocephala utricularius
Bullfrog - Rana catesbeiana
Great Plains Narrowmouth Toad - Gastrophryne olivacea
Woodhouse's Toad - Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii
Coastal Plain Toad - Ollotis nebulifer
SALAMANDERS
Western Lesser Siren - Siren intermedia nettingi
Smallmouth Salamander - Ambystoma texanum
Western Slimy Salamander - Plethodon albagula
LEGEND
* * = Venomous species.
LITERATURE CITED
Brown, Bryce C. 1950. An Annotated Check List of the Reptiles and Amphibians of Texas. Baylor University Press, Waco.
Dixon, James R. 2000. Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas, 2nd edition. Texas A & M Press, College Station.
Vermersch, Thomas, G., and Robert E. Kuntz. 1986. Snakes of South-Central Texas, lst edition. Eakin Press, Austin.
Vermersch, Thomas G. 1992. Lizards and Turtles of South-Central Texas. Eakin Press, Austin.
Werler, John E., and James R. Dixon. 2000. Texas Snakes, Identification, Distribution and Natural History. University of Texas Press, Austin.
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