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Spotted leaf-nosed snake

Phyllorhynchus decurtatus · Snakes · Reptiles

Spotted leaf-nosed snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus): Small snake with pale ground colour and dark blotches. A greatly enlarged, upturned scale on the tip of the snout gives the 'leaf-nosed' look. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Phyllorhynchus decurtatus
Family
Colubridae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern California (north to Inyo County), southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and central Arizona south to southern Baja California and southern Sonora, Mexico; in Nevada only the south of the state; below sea level to about 1,220 m.
Biology

How to identify it

Small snake with pale ground colour and dark blotches. [1][2][3]

A greatly enlarged, upturned scale on the tip of the snout gives the 'leaf-nosed' look. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Rocky, gravelly or sandy desert plains or dunes with creosote bush. [1][2][3]

Burrows into loose soil or sand and hides under rocks, surface debris or abandoned rodent burrows. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nocturnal; active in the early evening in mild to warm weather, most on the surface on June nights (Nevada); spends most of its time under the soil. [1][2][3]

Eats lizard eggs and small lizards such as banded geckos. [1][2][3]

Hibernates in late fall and winter; peak surface activity in June in Arizona and May-June in southern California. [1][2][3]

Lays 2-4 eggs, apparently in June-July. [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southern California (north to Inyo County), southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and central Arizona south to southern Baja California and southern Sonora, Mexico; in Nevada only the south of the state; below sea level to about 1,220 m.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. Nevada Department of Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Nevada Department of Wildlife

  3. Bureau of Land Management · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Bureau of Land Management