Texas scarlet snake

Last updated

Texas scarlet snake
Cemophora lineri.png
Comparison of Cemophora lineri (Texas scarletsnake) specimen from North Padre Island with C. lineri specimen from San Patricio County a Cemophora lineri (Texas scarletsnake) from North Padre Island b Cemophora lineri from San Patricio County. Note that the colors of the NPI specimen are duller than those of the scarletsnake from the mainland.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Cemophora
Species:
C. lineri
Binomial name
Cemophora lineri
Synonyms [1]
  • Cemophora coccinea lineri
    K.L. Williams, B.C. Brown & Wilson, 1966
  • Cemophora lineri
    Weinell & Austin, 2017

The Texas scarlet snake (Cemophora lineri) 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 .

Contents

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, lineri, is in honor of American herpetologist Ernest A. Liner (1925–2010), who collected the first specimen in 1963. [2] [3]

Geographic range

C. lineri is found in southern Texas. Its range does not overlap with the other species of scarlet snake. [4]

Description

The Texas scarlet snake is the larger of the two scarlet snake species, and is capable of growing to a total length (including tail) of 66 cm (26 inches). It has a gray or white background color, with distinct red blotches that have black borders. Unlike the other species, the black borders do not join on the sides. Its belly is a solid white or gray.

Behavior

Like all scarlet snakes (genus Cemophora), the Texas scarlet snake is a secretive burrower, spending most of its time under ground. It prefers sandy thicket habitats along the Gulf of Mexico coastline.

Diet

The preferred diet of C. lineri is the eggs of other reptiles, but it will also eat small rodents and lizards.

Related Research Articles

<i>Plestiodon multivirgatus</i> Species of lizard

Plestiodon multivirgatus, commonly known as the many-lined skink, the northern many-lined skink, or the variable skink, is a medium-sized species of lizard, a member of the North American skink genus Plestiodon in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the western United States.

<i>Rena dulcis</i> Species of snake

Rena dulcis, also known commonly as the Texas blind snake, the Texas slender blind snake, or the Texas threadsnake, is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is endemic to the Southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

<i>Tropidoclonion</i> Genus of snakes

Tropidoclonion is a genus of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The genus is monotypic, containing the sole species Tropidoclonion lineatum, commonly known as the lined snake. The species is endemic to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black swamp snake</span> Species of snake

The black swamp snake is a species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States. There are three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies.

<i>Salvadora</i> (snake) Genus of snakes

Salvadora is a genus of colubrid snakes commonly called patchnose snakes or patch-nosed snakes, which are endemic to the western United States and Mexico. They are characterized by having a distinctive scale on the tip of the snout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Pecos rat snake</span> Species of snake

The Trans-Pecos rat snake or Davis Mountain rat snake, is a species of medium to large, nonvenomous rat snake in the family Colubridae. Bogertophis subocularis is endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert.

<i>Cemophora coccinea</i> Species of snake

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The Texas garter snake is a subspecies of the common garter snake. The subspecies, which belongs to the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae, is native to the western United States.

<i>Cemophora coccinea copei</i> Subspecies of snake

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas lined snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The Texas lined snake is a subspecies of nonvenomous snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The subspecies is endemic to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas lyre snake</span> Species of snake

The Texas lyre snake is a species of mildly venomous, rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend slider</span> Species of turtle

The Big Bend slider, also called commonly the Mexican Plateau slider and la jicotea de la meseta mexicana in Mexican Spanish, is a species of aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

The Brazos water snake, also called commonly Harter's water snake, is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Texas in the United States.

<i>Rhineura floridana</i> Species of reptile

Rhineura floridana, known commonly as the Florida worm lizard, graveyard snake, or thunderworm, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Rhineuridae. The species is the only extant member of the genus Rhineura, and is found primarily in Florida but has been recorded in Lanier County, Georgia. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crayfish snake</span> Species of snake

The crayfish snake, also known commonly as the glossy crayfish snake, the glossy swampsnake, the glossy water snake, and the striped water snake, is a species of semiaquatic snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States, and preys mainly on crayfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern redbelly snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The northern redbelly snake is a nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae, a subspecies of Storeria occipitomaculata. It is native to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island glass lizard</span> Species of reptile

The island glass lizard is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern ribbon snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The southern ribbon snake(Thamnophis saurita sackenii), also known commonly as the peninsula ribbon snake and the Florida ribbon snake, is a subspecies of garter snake in the family Colubridae. It is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake.

<i>Thamnophis proximus</i> Species of snake

Thamnophis proximus, commonly known as the western ribbon snake, is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States, Mexico, and Central America. The species has six recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwestern worm snake</span> Subspecies of snake

The midwestern worm snake, Carphophis amoenus helenae, a subspecies of C. amoenus, is a nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The subspecies is endemic to the Midwest and Southern United States.

References

  1. "Cemophora lineri ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Beltz, Ellin (2006). Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America – Explained.
  3. 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 lineri, p. 159).
  4. Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN   978-0-544-12997-9. (Cemophora coccinea lineri, pp. 367–368 + Plates 32, 44 + Figure 159 on p. 330).

Further reading