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Cemophora coccinea

January 01, 1970

"Scarlet snake" redirects here. Not to be confused with Scarlet kingsnake.

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 (C. lineri) was previously considered a subspecies.

Cemophora coccinea
scarlet snake
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Cemophora
Species:
C. coccinea
Binomial name
Cemophora coccinea
Synonyms

Description edit

The scarlet snake is relatively small, growing to a total length (including tail) of 14-26 inches (36–66 cm) at adult size. The dorsal pattern consists of a light gray ground color, with a series of black-bordered red, white or yellow blotches down the back. The belly is either a uniform light gray or white color. The dorsal blotches can extend down the sides of the body, appearing somewhat like banding or rings, which sometimes leads to confusion with other sympatric species such as the venomous coral snakes or the harmless scarlet king snake.[6] The similar pattern exhibited by these three snakes is a form of mimicry known as batesian mimicry. This is a phenomenon in which members of a palatable species gain protection from predation by resembling or mimicking the defensive signaling of an unpalatable or defended species.[7]

Etymology edit

The generic name, Cemophora, is derived from the Greek words Kemos, meaning "muzzle", and phoros, meaning "bearing", referring to the pronounced rostral scale characteristic of members of the genus.[8]

Geographic distribution edit

C. coccinea is found only in the United States. They are endemic to peninsular Florida,[9] and found in southeastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware; with disjunct populations in New Jersey and central Missouri. The species is more commonly found throughout most of the Atlantic coastal plain areas. They prefer open forested areas with sandy soil, ground litter, and organic debris.[6]

 
Large adult scarlet snake

In Indiana, the scarlet snake is listed as an endangered species.[10] In New Jersey, the scarlet snake has been recommended by the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Advisory Committee that it be put on the threatened status for this species within the state, but no formal rule proposal has been filed to date. The Threatened status is largely due to population declines and habitat loss. Reasons for the decline in their population are a loss of habitat, illegal capture for the pet trade, road mortality, and direct killing.[11]

Behavior and diet edit

The scarlet snake is nocturnal and is active only during the summer months. They can be found during the day beneath logs, under pine debris or other organic litter. They also burrow underground during the daytime hours, or use previously dug tunnels to reside in.[12] At night they are often seen crossing roads, or prowling the forest floor searching for prey.[13] C. coccinea's diet consists of lizards, small rodents, the eggs of lizards, turtles, and other snakes. Their large, very sharp posterior teeth are used to slash open large reptile eggs. The snake will either squeeze an egg to expel its contents or thrust its head into the egg to break it open. The smallest reptile eggs are eaten in their entirety.[6]

 
Cemophora coccinea copei, Northern scarlet snake

Reproduction edit

There is very little known about the reproductive habits of the scarlet snake. It is oviparous, generally laying 2-9 eggs per clutch, with the typical clutch yielding five eggs. Breeding occurs throughout the spring months, and eggs are laid throughout the summer in burrows or under rocks. The eggs hatch two months after breeding, typically in the late summer or autumn.[6]

In Florida, one female scarlet snake laid 13 fertile eggs, which exceeded the largest reported clutch of 9 eggs.[14]

Predators and defense edit

The natural predators of the scarlet snake are snake-eating snakes such as the coral snake, and predatory birds and mammals. Scarlet snakes rarely bite when picked up by humans, although they can release a foul-smelling odor.[6] The Scarlet snake will use its version of batesian mimicry and mimic the coral snake as a defense mechanism in order to reduce predation, and show predators that it is a venomous species.[15]

Conservation edit

The two greatest threats that scarlet snakes face are the destruction of their habitats because of commercial development and the rising rate of road mortality.[6] Other threats are illegal capture of the species for the pet trade and intentional killing.[11]

Subspecies edit

The following two subspecies are recognized as being valid.[16]

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Cemophora.

References edit

  1. ^ Hammerson GA (2007). "Cemophora coccinea ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007: e.T63740A12712279. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63740A12712279.en. Downloaded on 28 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Cemopora coccinea ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov
  3. ^ Boulenger GA (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).
  4. ^ Williams KL (1967). "A Review of the Colubrid Snake Genus Cemophora Cope". Tulane Studies in Zoology 13 (4): 103-124.
  5. ^ Wright & Wright, p. 113.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Gibbons, Whit; Dorcas, Mike (2005). Snakes of the Southeast. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0820326528.
  7. ^ Lev-Yadun S. Müllerian and Batesian mimicry out, Darwinian and Wallacian mimicry in, for rewarding/rewardless flowers. Plant Signal Behav. 2018;13(6):e1480846. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2018.1480846. Epub 2018 Jun 26. PMID: 29888995; PMCID: PMC6110362.
  8. ^ Williams, Kenneth L. "Cemophora, C. coccinea." (1985).
  9. ^ Weinell, J. L., & Austin, C. C. (2017). Refugia and Speciation in North American Scarlet Snakes (Cemophora). Journal of Herpetology, 51(1), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1670/15-125
  10. ^ Indiana Legislative Services Agency (2011), "312 IAC 9-5-4: Endangered species of reptiles and amphibians", Indiana Administrative Code, retrieved 28 Apr 2012
  11. ^ a b "Scarlet snake. Conservation status: Threatened". Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  12. ^ Palmer, William M.; Tregembo, George (1970). "Notes on the Natural History of the Scarlet Snake Cemophora coccinea copei Jan in North Carolina". Herpetologica. 26 (3): 300–302. ISSN 0018-0831. JSTOR 3891254.
  13. ^ Palmer, William M.; Tregembo, George (1970). "Notes on the Natural History of the Scarlet Snake Cemophora coccinea copei Jan in North Carolina". Herpetologica. 26 (3): 300–302. JSTOR 3891254.
  14. ^ GOLDBERG, S. R., MAHRDT, R., & BEAMAN, K. R. (2014). CEMOPHORA COCCINEA COCCINEA (Florida Scarletsnake). Herpetological Review, 45, 1.
  15. ^ Kikuchi, David W.; Pfennig, David W. (December 2010). "Predator Cognition Permits Imperfect Coral Snake Mimicry". The American Naturalist. 176 (6): 830–834. doi:10.1086/657041. ISSN 0003-0147.
  16. ^ "Cemophora coccinea ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading edit

  • Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 592–593 + Plates 595, 596, 607).
  • Blumenbach JF (1788). "Einige Naturhistorische Bemerkungen bey Gelegenheit einer Schweizer-Reise". Magazin für das Neueste aus der Physik und Naturgeschichte 5: 13–24. (Coluber coccineus, new species, p. 11). (in German and Latin).
  • Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover); ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 211–212 + Plates 30, 31 + Map 152).
  • Conant R, Bridges W (1939). What Snake Is That?: A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains. (with 108 drawings by Edmond Malnate). New York and London: D. Appleton-Century. Frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 85–86 + Plate 26, Figure 78).
  • 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., 207 Figures, 47 Plates. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 367–368 + Figure 159 on p. 330 + Plates 32, 44).
  • Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 193–194, Figure 60).
  • Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 178–179).
  • Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Cemophora coccinea, p. 91).
  • Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Ithaca and London: Comstock. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes) (Cemophora coccinea, pp. 111–115, Figure 36, Map 13).
  • Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species. A Golden Nature Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (Scarlet snake, Cemophora doliata, pp. 100, 156).

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cemophora coccinea.
  • South Carolina Snake Species: Scarlet Snake
  • Florida Museum of Natural History: Florida Scarlet Snake
  • Florida Museum of Natural History: Northern Scarlet Snake
  • Genus Cemophora at The Reptile Database

January 01, 1970
cemophora, coccinea, scarlet, snake, redirects, here, confused, with, scarlet, kingsnake, commonly, known, scarlet, snake, species, nonvenomous, snake, family, colubridae, species, native, southeastern, united, states, there, subspecies, coccinea, that, recogn. Scarlet snake redirects here Not to be confused with Scarlet kingsnake 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 C lineri was previously considered a subspecies Cemophora coccinea scarlet snake Conservation status Least Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Order Squamata Suborder Serpentes Family Colubridae Genus Cemophora Species C coccinea Binomial name Cemophora coccinea Blumenbach 1788 2 Synonyms Coluber coccineus Blumenbach 1788 Elaps coccineus Merrem 1820 Heterodon coccineus Schlegel 1837 Rhinostoma coccineus Holbrook 1842 Simotes coccineus A M C Dumeril Bibron amp A H A Dumeril 1854 Cemophora coccinea Cope 1860 3 Cemophora doliata H M Smith 1952 4 Cemophora coccinea A H Wright amp A A Wright 1957 5 Contents 1 Description 2 Etymology 3 Geographic distribution 4 Behavior and diet 5 Reproduction 6 Predators and defense 7 Conservation 8 Subspecies 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksDescription editThe scarlet snake is relatively small growing to a total length including tail of 14 26 inches 36 66 cm at adult size The dorsal pattern consists of a light gray ground color with a series of black bordered red white or yellow blotches down the back The belly is either a uniform light gray or white color The dorsal blotches can extend down the sides of the body appearing somewhat like banding or rings which sometimes leads to confusion with other sympatric species such as the venomous coral snakes or the harmless scarlet king snake 6 The similar pattern exhibited by these three snakes is a form of mimicry known as batesian mimicry This is a phenomenon in which members of a palatable species gain protection from predation by resembling or mimicking the defensive signaling of an unpalatable or defended species 7 Etymology editThe generic name Cemophora is derived from the Greek words Kemos meaning muzzle and phoros meaning bearing referring to the pronounced rostral scale characteristic of members of the genus 8 Geographic distribution editC coccinea is found only in the United States They are endemic to peninsular Florida 9 and found in southeastern Texas eastern Oklahoma Arkansas parts of Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia South Carolina North Carolina Tennessee Kentucky Illinois Indiana Virginia Maryland and Delaware with disjunct populations in New Jersey and central Missouri The species is more commonly found throughout most of the Atlantic coastal plain areas They prefer open forested areas with sandy soil ground litter and organic debris 6 nbsp Large adult scarlet snake In Indiana the scarlet snake is listed as an endangered species 10 In New Jersey the scarlet snake has been recommended by the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Advisory Committee that it be put on the threatened status for this species within the state but no formal rule proposal has been filed to date The Threatened status is largely due to population declines and habitat loss Reasons for the decline in their population are a loss of habitat illegal capture for the pet trade road mortality and direct killing 11 Behavior and diet editThe scarlet snake is nocturnal and is active only during the summer months They can be found during the day beneath logs under pine debris or other organic litter They also burrow underground during the daytime hours or use previously dug tunnels to reside in 12 At night they are often seen crossing roads or prowling the forest floor searching for prey 13 C coccinea s diet consists of lizards small rodents the eggs of lizards turtles and other snakes Their large very sharp posterior teeth are used to slash open large reptile eggs The snake will either squeeze an egg to expel its contents or thrust its head into the egg to break it open The smallest reptile eggs are eaten in their entirety 6 nbsp Cemophora coccinea copei Northern scarlet snakeReproduction editThere is very little known about the reproductive habits of the scarlet snake It is oviparous generally laying 2 9 eggs per clutch with the typical clutch yielding five eggs Breeding occurs throughout the spring months and eggs are laid throughout the summer in burrows or under rocks The eggs hatch two months after breeding typically in the late summer or autumn 6 In Florida one female scarlet snake laid 13 fertile eggs which exceeded the largest reported clutch of 9 eggs 14 Predators and defense editThe natural predators of the scarlet snake are snake eating snakes such as the coral snake and predatory birds and mammals Scarlet snakes rarely bite when picked up by humans although they can release a foul smelling odor 6 The Scarlet snake will use its version of batesian mimicry and mimic the coral snake as a defense mechanism in order to reduce predation and show predators that it is a venomous species 15 Conservation editThe two greatest threats that scarlet snakes face are the destruction of their habitats because of commercial development and the rising rate of road mortality 6 Other threats are illegal capture of the species for the pet trade and intentional killing 11 Subspecies editThe following two subspecies are recognized as being valid 16 Cemophora coccinea coccinea Blumenbach 1788 Florida scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea copei Jan 1863 northern scarlet snake Nota bene A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Cemophora References edit Hammerson GA 2007 Cemophora coccinea The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007 e T63740A12712279 https dx doi org 10 2305 IUCN UK 2007 RLTS T63740A12712279 en Downloaded on 28 September 2018 Cemopora coccinea ITIS Integrated Taxonomic Information System www itis gov Boulenger GA 1894 Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum Natural History Volume II Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridae Aglyphae 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 Williams KL 1967 A Review of the Colubrid Snake Genus Cemophora Cope Tulane Studies in Zoology 13 4 103 124 Wright amp Wright p 113 a b c d e f Gibbons Whit Dorcas Mike 2005 Snakes of the Southeast University of Georgia Press ISBN 978 0820326528 Lev Yadun S Mullerian and Batesian mimicry out Darwinian and Wallacian mimicry in for rewarding rewardless flowers Plant Signal Behav 2018 13 6 e1480846 doi 10 1080 15592324 2018 1480846 Epub 2018 Jun 26 PMID 29888995 PMCID PMC6110362 Williams Kenneth L Cemophora C coccinea 1985 Weinell J L amp Austin C C 2017 Refugia and Speciation in North American Scarlet Snakes Cemophora Journal of Herpetology 51 1 161 171 https doi org 10 1670 15 125 Indiana Legislative Services Agency 2011 312 IAC 9 5 4 Endangered species of reptiles and amphibians Indiana Administrative Code retrieved 28 Apr 2012 a b Scarlet snake Conservation status Threatened Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey Retrieved 29 July 2020 Palmer William M Tregembo George 1970 Notes on the Natural History of the Scarlet Snake Cemophora coccinea copei Jan in North Carolina Herpetologica 26 3 300 302 ISSN 0018 0831 JSTOR 3891254 Palmer William M Tregembo George 1970 Notes on the Natural History of the Scarlet Snake Cemophora coccinea copei Jan in North Carolina Herpetologica 26 3 300 302 JSTOR 3891254 GOLDBERG S R MAHRDT R amp BEAMAN K R 2014 CEMOPHORA COCCINEA COCCINEA Florida Scarletsnake Herpetological Review 45 1 Kikuchi David W Pfennig David W December 2010 Predator Cognition Permits Imperfect Coral Snake Mimicry The American Naturalist 176 6 830 834 doi 10 1086 657041 ISSN 0003 0147 Cemophora coccinea The Reptile Database www reptile database org Further reading editBehler JL King FW 1979 The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians New York Alfred A Knopf 743 pp ISBN 0 394 50824 6 Cemophora coccinea pp 592 593 Plates 595 596 607 Blumenbach JF 1788 Einige Naturhistorische Bemerkungen bey Gelegenheit einer Schweizer Reise Magazin fur das Neueste aus der Physik und Naturgeschichte 5 13 24 Coluber coccineus new species p 11 in German and Latin Conant R 1975 A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America Second Edition The Peterson Field Guide Series Boston Houghton Mifflin xviii 429 pp Plates 1 48 ISBN 0 395 19979 4 hardcover ISBN 0 395 19977 8 paperback Cemophora coccinea pp 211 212 Plates 30 31 Map 152 Conant R Bridges W 1939 What Snake Is That A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains with 108 drawings by Edmond Malnate New York and London D Appleton Century Frontispiece map viii 163 pp Plates A C 1 32 Cemophora coccinea pp 85 86 Plate 26 Figure 78 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 207 Figures 47 Plates ISBN 978 0 544 12997 9 Cemophora coccinea pp 367 368 Figure 159 on p 330 Plates 32 44 Schmidt KP Davis DD 1941 Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada New York G P Putnam s Sons 365 pp Cemophora coccinea pp 193 194 Figure 60 Smith HM Brodie ED Jr 1982 Reptiles of North America A Guide to Field Identification New York Golden Press 240 pp ISBN 0 307 13666 3 paperback Cemophora coccinea pp 178 179 Stejneger L Barbour T 1917 A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles Cambridge Massachusetts Harvard University Press 125 pp Cemophora coccinea p 91 Wright AH Wright AA 1957 Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada Ithaca and London Comstock 1 105 pp in two volumes Cemophora coccinea pp 111 115 Figure 36 Map 13 Zim HS Smith HM 1956 Reptiles and Amphibians A Guide to Familiar American Species A Golden Nature Guide New York Simon and Schuster 160 pp Scarlet snake Cemophora doliata pp 100 156 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cemophora coccinea South Carolina Snake Species Scarlet Snake Florida Museum of Natural History Florida Scarlet Snake Florida Museum of Natural History Northern Scarlet Snake Genus Cemophora at The Reptile Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cemophora coccinea amp oldid 1221149299, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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