Texas scarlet snake

Texas scarlet snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Cemophora
Species: C. lineri
Binomial name
Cemophora lineri
K.L. Williams, B.C. Brown & Wilson, 1966

The Texas scarlet snake (Cemophora lineri) is a subspecies of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the United States. It was previously considered a subspecies of Cemophora coccinea.

Etymology

The specific name or epithet, lineri, is in honor of American zoologist Ernest A. Liner, who collected the first specimen in 1963.[1]

Geographic range

It is found in southern Texas. Its range does not overlap with other subspecies of scarlet snake.

Description

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

Behavior

Like all scarlet snakes, 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

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

References

  1. ↑ Beolens, Bo, Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson. 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).

Further reading

  • Behler, J.L., and F.W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Knopf. 743 pp. ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Cemophora coccinea lineri, p. 593).
  • Conant, R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Cemophora coccinea lineri, p. 212 + Map 152).
  • Williams, K.L., B.C. Brown, and L.D. Wilson. 1966. A new subspecies of the colubrid snake Cemophora coccinea (Blumenbach) from Southern Texas. Texas Journal of Science 18: 85-88. (Cemophora coccinea lineri, new subspecies).
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