Cemophora

Cemophora coccinea
scarlet snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Cemophora
Species: C. coccinea
Binomial name
Cemophora coccinea
(Blumenbach, 1788)[1]
Synonyms
Northern Scarlet Snake, Cemophora coccinea copei
Large Adult Scarlet Snake

Cemophora coccinea is a nonvenomous species of colubrid snake commonly known as the scarlet snake. It is the only member of its genus. They are native to the southeastern United States. There are three subspecies of C. coccinea.

Description

Scarlet snakes are relatively small snakes, growing to a total length (body + tail) of 14-26 inches (36–66 cm) at adult size. They are a base light gray in color, with a series of black-bordered red blotches down the back. The belly is a uniform light gray color.

The dorsal blotches can extend down the sides of the body, appearing somewhat like banding, which sometimes leads to confusion with other sympatric species such as the venomous coral snakes or the harmless scarlet king snake.

Behaviour

Scarlet snakes are nocturnal, and generally spend their day hiding under leaf litter or fallen logs, and venture out in the evenings to forage for food. They feed on lizards, small rodents, reptile eggs, and even other snakes.

Reproduction

Scarlet snakes are oviparous, generally laying 3-8 eggs per clutch. Breeding occurs throughout the spring months, and eggs are laid throughout the summer and hatch in the early fall.

Geographic distribution

They are found only in the United States, in: southeastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware; with disjunct populations in New Jersey and central Missouri.

In Indiana, the scarlet snake is listed as an endangered species.[5]

Subspecies

References

  1. ITIS.gov
  2. Boulenger, G.A. 1894. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis, printers.) xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.- XX. (Genus Cemophora, p. 213; species Cemophora coccinea, p. 214.)
  3. Williams, K.L. 1967. A Review of the Colubrid Snake Genus Cemophora Cope. Tulane Studies in Zoology 13 (4): 103-124.
  4. Wright & Wright, p. 113.
  5. Indiana Legislative Services Agency (2011), "312 IAC 9-5-4: Endangered species of reptiles and amphibians", Indiana Administrative Code, retrieved 28 Apr 2012

Further reading

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