Cemophora coccinea copei

Cemophora coccinea copei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Cemophora
Species:	C. coccinea
Subspecies:	C. c. copei
Trinomial name
	Cemophora coccinea copei; Jan, 1863
Synonyms
	Cemophora copei Jan, 1863;

Last updated May 01, 2023

Cemophora coccinea copei, commonly known as the northern scarlet snake, is a subspecies of harmless colubrid snake that is native to the southern and eastern United States.

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, copei, is in honor of renowned American taxonomist Edward Drinker Cope.^[1]

Description

The northern scarlet snake grows to 36–51 cm (14-20 inches) in total length (including tail). It is typically a gray or white base color, with 17-24 red blotches bordered by black that go down the back. The black borders on the blotches often join on the lower sides of the snake forming a line down the length of the body. The dorsal scales are smooth. The northern scarlet snake can sometimes be mistaken for the scarlet kingsnake ( Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides ) or the eastern milk snake ( Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum ) in the areas where the geographic ranges of the species overlap.^{[ citation needed ]}

Behavior

The northern scarlet snake is a secretive, burrowing species, preferring habitats of soft soils, often in open forested areas or developed agricultural land. They spend most of their time hidden, emerging to feed on small rodents and lizards, but they have a particular taste for reptile eggs, swallowing them whole or puncturing them and consuming the contents.^{[ citation needed ]}

Reproduction

Mating of the northern scarlet snake occurs in March through June, with 3-8 eggs laid in mid summer, and hatching in early fall. Each hatchling is 13–15 cm (5-6 inches) in total length (including tail).^{[ citation needed ]}

Geographic distribution

The northern scarlet snake is found in the United States, in: eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, southern Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and barely into northern Florida, with disjunct populations New Jersey, and central Missouri.^{[ citation needed ]}

Conservation status

The northern scarlet snake holds no particular conservation status throughout most of its range, but it is listed as endangered species in the states of Indiana and Florida. It is only found in a single county in each state as these are the northern and southern extents of its range.^{[ citation needed ]}

Related Research Articles

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The scarlet kingsnake or scarlet milk snake is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States. Like all kingsnakes, they are nonvenomous. They are found in pine flatwoods, hydric hammocks, pine savannas, mesic pine-oak forests, prairies, cultivated fields, and a variety of suburban habitats; not unusually, people find scarlet kingsnakes in their swimming pools, especially during the spring. Until recently, and for much of the 20th century, scarlet kingsnakes were considered a subspecies of the milk snake; however, Pyron and Bubrink demonstrated the phylogenetic distinction of this species and its closer relationship to the mountain kingsnakes of the southwestern United States. These largely fossorial snakes are the smallest of all the species within the genus Lampropeltis, usually ranging from 40 to 50 cm at maturity. The maximum recorded length is in Jonesboro, AR 76.2 cm (30.0 in). Hatchlings range in size from 8 to 18 cm .

The gray-banded kingsnake, sometimes referred to as the alterna or the Davis Mountain king snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. Some sources list two distinct subspecies of Lampropeltis alterna, as L. a. alterna and L. a. blairi differentiated by patterning and locale, but research has shown them to be color morphs of the same species.

Cemophora coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet snake, is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. There are two subspecies of C. coccinea that are recognized as being valid. The Texas scarlet snake was previously considered a subspecies.

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The Texas scarlet snake is a species of nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the South Central United States. It was previously considered a subspecies of Cemophora coccinea.

Micrurus fulvius, commonly known as the eastern coral snake, common coral snake, American cobra, and more, is a species of highly venomous coral snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. It should not be confused with the scarlet snake or scarlet kingsnake, which are harmless mimics. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Kenneth Lee Williams was an American herpetologist and author of books on the subject of snake biology and classification. Williams retired from teaching in Northwestern State University's biology department and received emeritus status in 2001. Williams is considered an authority on the milk snake and the herpetology of the Honduran Cloud Forest.

Lampropeltis getula, commonly known as the eastern kingsnake, common kingsnake, or chain kingsnake, is a harmless colubrid species endemic to the United States and Mexico. It has long been a favorite among collectors. Nine subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

Lampropeltis rhombomaculata, commonly known as the mole kingsnake or the brown kingsnake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is a relatively medium-sized snake that occupies a variety of habitats from Baltimore, Maryland, south through the Florida Panhandle and west into Mississippi and Tennessee.

Cemophora coccinea coccinea, commonly known as the Florida scarlet snake, is the nominotypical subspecies of the scarlet snake. It is a nonvenomous colubrid snake that is endemic to the southeastern United States.

Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, commonly known as the eastern milk snake or eastern milksnake, is a subspecies of the milk snake. The nonvenomous, colubrid snake is indigenous to eastern and central North America.

Lampropeltis triangulum syspila, commonly known as the red milk snake or red milksnake, is a subspecies of the milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum). The nonvenomous, colubrid snake is indigenous to the central United States.

Aspidura copei, commonly known as Cope's rough-sided snake or කලු මැඩිල්ලා in Sinhalese, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Cemophora is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus contains two species, which are endemic to the United States.

References

↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cemophora coccinea copei, p. 58).

External links

Species Cemophora coccinea at The Reptile Database