Cemophora coccinea copei
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2022) |
| Cemophora coccinea copei | |
|---|---|
_(8715614817).jpg)
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Cemophora |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. c. copei
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Cemophora coccinea copei Jan, 1863
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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
Behavior
The northern scarlet snake is a secretive, burrowing species, preferring
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]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cemophora coccinea copei, p. 58).
External links
- Species Cemophora coccinea at The Reptile Database
Further reading
- Jan G (1863). "Enumerazione sistematica degli ofidi appartenenti al gruppo Coronellidae ". Archivio per la zoologia, l'anatomia e la fisiologia 2 (2): 213-230 + Plates XVII-XVIII. (Cemophora copei, new species, p. 231). (in Italian).
- ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Cemophora coccinea copei, pp. 367–368).
- ISBN 0-307-47009-1(hardcover). (Cemophora coccinea copei, p. 178).