I have found a lot of information on recent Taxonomy debates regarding garter snake and specifically T. elegans. Anybody following this evolution of taxonomy? Is this the current best taxonomy?

CNAH - Standard Common and Current Scientific Names
Species Guide - gartersnake.info
THE REPTILE DATABASE


  1. Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter Snake
    Thamnophis atratus (Kennicott, 1860)
  2. Bogert’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis bogerti Rossman and Burbrink, 2005
  3. Short-headed Garter Snake
    Thamnophis brachystoma (Cope, 1892)
  4. Butler’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis butleri (Cope, 1889)
  5. Golden-headed Garter Snake
    Thamnophis chrysocephalus (Cope, 1885)
  6. Conant’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis conanti Rossman and Burbrink, 2005
  7. Sierra Garter Snake
    Thamnophis couchii (Kennicott, 1859)
  8. Black-necked Garter Snake
    Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860)
  9. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
    Thamnophis elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853)
  10. Mexican Garter Snake
    Thamnophis eques (Reuss, 1834)
  11. Mexican Wandering Garter Snake
    Thamnophis errans (H. M. Smith, 1942)
  12. Exiled Garter Snake
    Thamnophis exsul Rossman 1969
  13. Mesoamerican Highlands Garter Snake
    Thamnophis fulvus (Bocourt, 1893)
  14. Giant Garter Snake
    Thamnophis gigas (Fitch, 1940)
  15. Godman’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis godmani (Günther, 1894)
  16. Two-striped Garter Snake
    Thamnophis hammondii (Kennicott, 1860)
  17. Liner’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis lineri Rossman and Burbrink, 2005
  18. Checkered Garter Snake
    Thamnophis marcianus (Baird and Girard, 1853)
  19. Mexican Black-bellied Garter Snake
    Thamnophis melanogaster (Peters, 1864)
  20. Tamaulipan Montane Garter Snake
    Thamnophis mendax Walker, 1955
  21. Southern Durango Spotted Garter Snake
    Thamnophis nigronuchalis Thompson, 1957
  22. Northwestern Garter Snake
    Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard, 1852)
  23. Tepalcatepec Valley Garter Snake
    Thamnophis postremus H. M. Smith, 1942
  24. Western Ribbon Snake
    Thamnophis proximus (Say, 1823)
  25. Yellow-throated Garter Snake
    Thamnophis pulchrilatus (Cope, 1885)
  26. Plains Garter Snake
    Thamnophis radix (Baird and Girard, 1853)
  27. Rossman’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis rossmani Conant, 2000
  28. Narrow-headed Garter Snake
    Thamnophis rufipunctatus (Cope, 1875)
  29. Eastern Ribbon Snake
    Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  30. Mexican Alpine Blotched Garter Snake
    Thamnophis scalaris Cope, 1861
  31. Mesa Central Blotched Garter Snake
    Thamnophis scaliger (Jan, 1863)
  32. Common Garter Snake
    Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
  33. Sumichrast’s Garter Snake
    Thamnophis sumichrasti (Cope, 1866)
  34. Mexican Pacific Lowlands Garter Snake
    Thamnophis validus (Kennicott, 1860)