just wondering

[chris-uk]

e

Well, actually, technically the species of Thamnophis sirtalis is the Common Garter Snake...and any subspecies falling under that species could be considered a Common Garter Snake...according to The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology. (Right? For those of you that have the book...am I reading that correctly?). But like Chantel said, most of the time when people refer to the common garter snake, they are referring to easterns....the subspecies Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis. And like Chantel said, there are many species of garters and ribbons.

I don't think you have that right. I think when an animal has been classified into a subspecies the common name for the subspecies applies, and not the common name of the parent species. In the case of T. sirtalis, you wouldn't call a tetrataenia, infernalis, or concinnus a "Common Garter" - they have been classified as subspecies with their own common name, therefore you wouldn't use the common name for the species they belong to when you have a more accurate subspecies name.

[EasternGirl]

Okay...wait...I'm half asleep...I just reread what you wrote. I get what you are saying now. So you are saying then...that Common Garter would apply to T.sirtalis as a species as a whole but not to each individual subspecies that fall under that category since they have their own specific name? Right...gotcha. Then why do people often refer to easterns as common garters?

[BUSHSNAKE]

e

I don't think you have that right. I think when an animal has been classified into a subspecies the common name for the subspecies applies, and not the common name of the parent species. In the case of T. sirtalis, you wouldn't call a tetrataenia, infernalis, or concinnus a "Common Garter" - they have been classified as subspecies with their own common name, therefore you wouldn't use the common name for the species they belong to when you have a more accurate subspecies name.

tetratenia, infernalis and concinnus are in the common garter complex...they are common garters

[chris-uk]

tetratenia, infernalis and concinnus are in the common garter complex...they are common garters

Sure.... But what would you commonly call them? You wouldn't call any of them Common Garter Snake because you can be more accurate with the name for them by using the common name for their subspecies.