. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. November, 1961 Smith: Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois 263 Illinois Distribution.—This brightly marked banded water snake is known in Illi- nois only from the vicinity of Horseshoe Lake, Alexander County, and it is decidedly uncommon, fig. 244. Field work in similar habitats elsewhere on the Mississippi flood- plain in Alexander and Union counties has not revealed other populations. In fact, no specimens of the A^ sipedon group have been found in these localities. GROTALIDAE Pit vipers are found in the New World, Asia, and eastern Europe. Three
. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. November, 1961 Smith: Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois 263 Illinois Distribution.—This brightly marked banded water snake is known in Illi- nois only from the vicinity of Horseshoe Lake, Alexander County, and it is decidedly uncommon, fig. 244. Field work in similar habitats elsewhere on the Mississippi flood- plain in Alexander and Union counties has not revealed other populations. In fact, no specimens of the A^ sipedon group have been found in these localities. GROTALIDAE Pit vipers are found in the New World, Asia, and eastern Europe. Three genera are known in the United States, and all are rep- resented in Illinois. The pit vipers are re- garded by some authors as a subfamily of the Viperidae. Agkistrodon Beauvois Two polytypic species of Agkistrodon oc- cur in the United States and in Illinois. The distribution of the genus is similar to that of the family Crotalidae. Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostomus (Troost) Western Cottonmouth Water Moccasin Acontias leucostoma Troost 1836:176 (type lo- cality: western Tennessee; revised to 10 mi. NE of Bolivar, Hardeman County, by Schmidt 1953). AgkistrodoJi piscivorus leucostoma, Gloyd & Conant 1943:164-5. Aricistrodon piscivorus leucostoma, Schmidt 1953:225. Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostomus, Smith k Taylor 1945:178. Ancistrodon piscivorus, Cope 1877:64. Aricistrodon piscivorus piscivorus nee Lace- pede, Yarrow lo82fl:79. Agkistrodon piscivorus, Jordan 1888:199. Diagnosis.—^A large, very heavy-bodied snake (largest Illinois specimen 1,121 mm. in total length), fig. 245; usually with 25 anterior and 21 posterior rows of strongly keeled scales; ventrals 132 to 137; caudals 39 to 47, only the posterior third or half of which are divided; anal plate entire; head flattened, much wider than neck; top of head with 9 large symmetrical plates; pit be- tween eye and nostril on each side of head; supralabials 7 or 8, infralabials from 9 to 12, usually 11 on a side; eye pupi
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