| Accurate naming of the Great Basin Rattlesnakes as individuals is fraught with difficulty as it is an unfinished study and controversial. The type species, Crotalus oreganus, has a series of subspecies accorded, and the confusion in taxonomic naming where it appears that Crotalus oreganus lutosus and Crotalus viridis lutosus are interchangeable is an illustration of the problem. Use of features such as pattern and coloration to distinguish one species from another is unreliable. The following information can therefore be applied to most members of the species of Crotalus that inhabit the Great Basin (See fact sheet). |
