Coniophanes piceivittis
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Coniophanes piceivittis, known commonly as Cope's black-striped snake, is a species of small snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Central America and Mexico, and is found in a wide range of habitats.
C. piceivittis is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua. C. piceivittis is oviparous. Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Coniophanes piceivittis frangivirgatus J. Peters, 1950
Coniophanes piceivittis piceivittis Cope, 1869 Cope ED (1869). "Seventh Contribution to the Herpetology of Tropical America". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia 11: 147–169. (Coniophanes piceiviitis, new species, pp. 149–150).
Heimes, Peter (2016). Snakes of Mexico: Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. I. Frankfurt, Germany: Chimaira. 572 pp. ISBN 978-3899731002. Peters JA (1950). "A New Snake of the Genus Coniophanes from Veracruz, Mexico". Copeia 1950 (4): 279–280. (Coniophanes frangivirgatus, new species). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cope's Black-striped Snake sighting in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 21 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cope's Black-striped Snake in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cope's Black-striped Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cope's Black-striped Snake sightings, Palo Verde National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Cope's Black-striped Snake that you can see in Palo Verde National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Central American Lyresnake (about 40%), Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake (about 40%) and Western Ribbon Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cope's Black-striped Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Palo Verde National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
