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| Natrix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Natrix natrix | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Natricinae |
| Genus: | Natrix Laurenti, 1768 |
| Type species | |
| Natrix natrix | |
Natrix is agenus ofOld Worldsnakes found mainly across Eurasia (although the range ofNatrix tessellata extends into Egypt and those ofN. astreptophora andN. maura into north-west Africa) in thesubfamilyNatricinae of thefamilyColubridae. They are commonly calledgrass snakes andwater snakes, but some other snake species also knowncommonly as "grass snakes" and "water snakes" are not in the genus.
The genusNatrix contains five extant species[1] and at least five extinct (fossil-only) species.
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natrix astreptophora(Seoane, 1885) | Iberian grass snake[2] | Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), southern France, coastal north-west Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia) | |
 | Natrix helvetica(Lacépède, 1789) | barred grass snake[3] | Western Europe, including southern Great Britain |
.jpg) | Natrix maura(Linnaeus, 1758) | viperine water snake[4] | Portugal, Spain, France, north-west Italy and into Switzerland; north-west Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia) |
--Ringelnatter.jpg) | Natrix natrix(Linnaeus, 1758) | grass snake[4] | Mainland Europe from mid Scandinavia to southern Italy, to northern Middle East and Central Asia |
 | Natrix tessellata(Laurenti, 1768) | dice snake[4] | Much of Eurasia, and Egypt |
| †Natrix longivertebrata(Szyndlar, 1984) | extinct species (Pliocene,Miocene) | Poland, Austria, France[5] | |
| †Natrix merkurensisIvanov, 2002 | extinct species (Miocene)[6] | Czech Republic, France[7] | |
| †Natrix mlynarskiiRage, 1988 | extinct species (Eocene–Miocene) | France[8] | |
| †Natrix parvaSzyndlar, 1984 | extinct species (Miocene) | Poland[9] | |
| †Natrix sansaniensis(Lartet, 1851) | extinct species (Miocene)[6] | Czech Republic, France |
Nota bene: Abinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other thanNatrix.
Natrix is classicalLatin for a water snake. The word comes from aProto-Indo-European root meaning "snake", with cognates in theCeltic andGermanic languages, the latter including the Englishadder. It was probably influenced throughfolk etymology by the Latinnare andnatare meaning "swim";[10][11] it appears to be a grammatically feminine word for "swimmer".
The refuge of a widely distributed Western European lineage regarding thebarred grass snake commonly known asNatrix helveticawas most likely located in southern France and outside the classical refuges in the southern European peninsulas. One genetic lineage of thecommon grass snake (N. natrix) is also distributed in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and the Balkan Peninsula.[12]
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