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This list is different than what many text and herpetologists say. This list is a compilation of many different books, articles, and other peer-reviewed publications that I have read over the years. I am not going to reflect why these snakes should be listed this way as I did not do any of the research that places them in these taxonomic orders and since these publications have already been released. This is a very opinionated list of the way I think the current taxonomy should be, however many systematists agree and disagree with different aspects of certain areas in this list (e.g. the oreganus/viridis complex). I tend to favor the separation of Crotalus viridis into seven distinct species instead of how others have listed them. However, although this order is a personal opinion it is backed up by a lot of systematists and none of these ideas are from out of my own head. All of these taxonomic changes/revisions have been recently published in the literature, I am just choosing which ones I wish to accept since systematists haven't fully decided yet either.

1. Crotalus abyssus Grand Canyon rattlesnake

2. Crotalus adamanteus eastern diamondback rattlesnake

3. Crotalus aquilus Quertaran blotched rattlesnake, Queretaro dusky rattlesnake

4. Crotalus atrox western diamondback rattlesnake

5. Crotalus basilicus Mexican west-coast rattlesnake

6. Crotalus catalinensis Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake

7. Crotalus cerastes cerastes Mojave Desert sidewinder

8. Crotalus cerestes cercobombus Sonoran Desert sidewinder

9. Crotalus cerestes laterorepens Colorado Desert sidewinder

10. Crotalus cerberus Arizona black rattlesnake

11. Crotalus concolor midget faded rattlesnake

12. Crotalus durissus cascavella northeastern Brazilian rattlesnake

13. Crotalus durissus collilineatus central Brazilian rattlesnake

14. Crotalus durissus culminates northwestern neotropical rattlesnake

15. Crotalus durissus cumanensis Venezuelan rattlesnake

16. Crotalus durissus dryinus Guianian rattlesnake

17. Crotalus durissus durissus neotropical rattlesnake

18. Crotalus durissus marajoensis Marajoan rattlesnake

19. Crotalus durissus neoleonensis Nuevo Leon neotropical rattlesnake

20. Crotalus durissus ruruima Mount Roraima

21. Crotalus durissus terrificus South American rattlesnake

22. Crotalus durissus totonacus Totonacan rattlesnake

23. Crotalus durissus trigonicus Rupunini rattlesnake

24. Crotalus durissus tzabcan Yucatan neotropical rattlesnake

25. Crotalus enyo cerralvensis Cerralvo Island rattlesnake

26. Crotalus enyo enyo Baja California rattlesnake

27. Crotalus enyo furvus Rosario rattlesnake

28. Crotalus exsul Cedros Island diamond rattlesnake

29. Crotalus helleri caliginis Coronado Island rattlesnake

30. Crotalus helleri helleri southern pacific rattlesnake

31. Crotalus horridus atricaudatus canebrake rattlesnake

32. Crotalus horridus horridus timber rattlesnake

Currently Crotalus horridus (timber rattlesnake) is only considered monotypic and no subspecies are academically recognized due to mtDNA analysis. However, since there are obvious physical and geographic differences in this species I have decided to list them as separate. There is apparently a larger difference in their genetic diversity found between the east and west than north and south. My solution would be to make more than two subspecies of horridus but that is mainly because I am a major cladistics splitter instead of lumper.

33. Crotalus intermedius gloyd Oaxacan small-headed rattlesnake

34. Crotalus intermedius intermedius Totalcan small-headed rattlesnake

35. Crotalus intermedius omiltemanus Omilteman small-headed rattlesnake

36. Crotalus lannomi Autlan rattlesnake

37. Crotalus lepidus castenaeus Nuevo Leon rock rattlesnake

38. Crotalus lepidus klauberi banded rock rattlesnake

39. Crotalus lepidus lepidus mottled rock rattlesnake

40. Crotalus lepidus maculosus Durango rock rattlesnake

41. Crotalus lepidus morulus Tamaulipan rock rattlesnake

42. Crotalus lutosus Great basin rattlesnake

43. Crotalus mitchelli angelensis Angel de la Guarda Island speckled rattlesnake

44. Crotalus mitchelli mitchelli San Lucan speckled rattlesnake

45. Crotalus mitchelli muertensis El Muerto Island rattlesnake

46. Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus southwestern speckled rattlesnake

47. Crotalus mitchelli stephensi panamint rattlesnake

48. Crotalus molossus estebanensis San Esteban Island blacktail rattlesnake

49. Crotalus molossus molossus northern blacktail rattlesnake

50. Crotalus molossus nigrescens Mexican blacktail rattlesnake

51. Crotalus molossus oaxacus Oaxacan blacktail rattlesnake

52. Crotalus oreganus northern pacific rattlesnake

53. Crotalus pifanorum neither English nor Spanish common name

54. Crotalus polystictus Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake

55. Crotalus pricei miquihuanus eastern twin-spotted rattlesnake

56. Crotalus pricei pricei western twin-spotted rattlesnake

57. Crotalus pusillus Tancitaran dusky rattlesnake

86. Crotalus ravus brunneus Oaxacan pigmy rattlesnake

87. Crotalus ravus exiguus Guerreran pigmy rattlesnake

88. Crotalus ravus ravus central plateau pigmy rattlesnake

58. Crotalus ruber elegans

59. Crotalus ruber monserratensis

60. Crotalus ruber lorenzoensis San Lorenzo Island diamond rattlesnake

61. Crotalus ruber lucasensis San Lucan Island diamond rattlesnake

62. Crotalus ruber ruber red diamond rattlesnake

63. Crotalus scutulatus salvini Humantlan rattlesnake

64. Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus Mojave rattlesnake

65. Crotalus stejnegeri long-tailed rattlesnake

66. Crotalus tancitarensis

66. Crotalus tigris tiger rattlesnake

67. Crotalus tortugensis Tortuga Island diamond rattlesnake

68. Crotalus transversus cross-banded mountain rattlesnake

69. Crotalus triseriatus armstrongi Mexican dusky rattlesnake

70. Crotalus triseriatus triseriatus Central Plateau dusky rattlesnake

71. Crotalus unicolor Aruba Island rattlesnake

Crotalus unicolor has recently been reclassified as being part of the durissus species. I'd like to wait a while to see if the change sticks before recognizing it. It is considered endangered and I think by making it a subspecies it would allow for the possibility of less protection than if it had full species statis.

72. Crotalus vegrandis Uracoan rattlesnake

73. Crotalus viridis nuntius Hopi rattlesnake

74. Crotalus viridis viridis Prairie rattlesnake

The species of viridis has recently been reclassified. Previously there were 9 subspecies of viridis: abyssus, caliginis, cerberus, concolor, helleri, lutosus, nuntius, oreganus, and viridis. Now it has been changed into 7 separate species: Crotalus abyssus, cerberus, concolor, helleri, lutosus, oreganus, and viridis. This however, leaves nuntius (Hopi rattlesnake) and caliginis (Coronado Island rattlesnake) as subspecies of one of the others. To my knowledge nuntius has remained a subspecies of viridis while caliginis is now a subspecies of helleri.

75. Crotalus williardi amabilis Sierra del Nido ridgenose rattlesnake

76. Crotalus williardi meridionalis southern ridgenose rattlesnake

77. Crotalus williardi obscurus New Mexican ridgenose rattlesnake

78. Crotalus williardi silus western Chihuahuan ridgenose rattlesnake

79. Crotalus williardi williardi Arizona ridgenose rattlesnake

80. Sistrurus catenatus catenatus eastern massasauga

81. Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii desert-grassland massasauga

82. Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus western massasauga

83. Sistrurus miliarius barbouri dusky pigmy rattlesnake

84. Sistrurus miliarius miliarius Carolina pigmy rattlesnake

85. Sistrurus miliarius streckeri western pigmy rattlesnake

References:

Alvardo-Diaz, J., & J.A. Campbell. 2004. A new montane rattlesnake (Viperidae) from Michoacan, Mexico. Herpetologica 60(2): 281-286.

Campbell, Jonathan A., and William W. Lamar. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Vol. 2.

Douglas, Michael E., Marlis R. Douglas, Gordon W. Schuett, Louis W. Porras, and Andrew T. Holycross. 2002. Phylogeography of the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) Complex, with Emphasis on the Colorado Plateau. Biology of the Viper. Ed. Gordon W. Schuett, Mats Hoggren, Michael E. Douglas, and Harry W. Greene. pgs. 11-50.

Rubio, Manny. 1998. Rattlesnake: Portrait of a Predator.

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