Cemophora coccinea (Blumenbach) – Scarletsnake
Cemophora coccinea (Blumenbach) – Scarletsnake

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Legend
     Exact locality, based on specimen(s) or photographs examined
     Exact locality, based on literature record believed valid
     Approximate locality based on specimen(s) or photographs examined
     Approximate locality based on literature record believed valid
     County record only, based on specimens or photographs examined
     County record only, based on literature report believed valid
     Type locality
?      Questionable and/or problematic record

Taxonomy: Of two subspecies of Scarletsnake listed by Crother et al. (2017), only C. c. copei (Northern Scarletsnake) occurs in Tennessee (Conant and Collins 1998). 

Distribution: Scarletsnakes have been found across the state from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the east to the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in the west, but records are conspicuously lacking in much of West Tennessee, most of Middle Tennessee, and the counties of upper East Tennessee.  Despite this lack of records, the species has been reported from several localities north of the Tennessee border in Kentucky (Meade 1991). 

Museum Records by Counties: Anderson—LSUMZ 34758.  Blount—GSMNP 3916.  Cumberland—LSUMZ 35396; UMMZ 84439.  Decatur—KU 2473.  Franklin—APSU 6129.  Hamilton—FLMNH 10801.  Hardeman—UMMZ 79214.  Henry—LSUMZ 34930; KU 137762.  Knox—UTKVZC 4175.  Meigs—NCSM 8580.  Monroe—FLMNH 10822.  Rutherford—MTSU 88S.  Sevier—GSMNP 3917.  Stewart—APSU 166, 239, 3706; UL 2731.  Wilson—UTKVZC 2874. 

Literature Sources by Counties: AndersonByrd and Fox (2017).  Blount—King (1939), Huheey and Stupka (1967).  Chester—Endsley (1954).  Cumberland—Williams and Wilson (1967).  Decatur—Williams and Wilson (1967).  Franklin—McCrady and Rodarmor (1967), Cameron and McCrady (1978), Miller et al. (2005).  Hamilton—Johnson (1958).  Hardeman—Williams and Wilson (1967), Norton (1971), Norton and Harvey (1975).  Monroe—Johnson (1958), Williams and Wilson (1967).   Polk—Ash (1945).   Roane—Johnson (1964).  Sevier—Huheey and Stupka (1967).   Shelby—Parker (1948).  Wilson—Jordan et al. (1968), Jordan (1986), Niemiller et al. (2011). 

Questionable and/or Erroneous Records: None. 

Conservation Status: None. 

Posted: 11 May 2009

Latest Revison: 18 November 2019


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