Serpentes Field Catalog: Snakes of the Mid-South

A vocabulary centered flashcard set defining terrestrial and venomous snakes found in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi based on field catalog data.

Eastern & Western Wormsnake (Carphophis amoenus / C. vermis)

A small, glossy, worm-like burrower that is plain brown to purplish-brown above with a sharply contrasting pink to salmon belly that wraps onto the lower sides.

Scarletsnake (Cemophora coccinea)

A Colubrid found in sandy woodlands with red, black, and yellow-white banding and a red snout; distinguished from milksnakes by an unbanded, plain white/cream belly.

North American Racer (Coluber constrictor)

A slender, fast, uniformly colored snake (black, blue-gray, or olive) with large round eyes and a whip-thin build; juveniles are strongly blotched.

Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus)

A small, slate-gray to black snake with a bright yellow-to-orange neck ring and an orange belly that often carries a row of black half-moons.

Red Cornsnake (Pantherophis guttatus)

An orange to reddish-gray ratsnake with black-outlined red-brown blotches and a diagnostic bold black-and-white checkerboard belly pattern.

Ratsnake Complex (Pantherophis spiloides / P. obsoletus / P. emoryi–slowinskii / P. alleghaniensis)

A group of large, heavy-bodied climbers including Gray, Western, Great Plains, and Midland species covering Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Red-bellied & Western Mudsnake (Farancia abacura)

A glossy blue-black bottomland species found in permanent wetlands with vivid red-and-black barring on the belly.

Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma)

An iridescent blue-black snake restricted to southern Mississippi with three bright red-orange stripes running the length of the body.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)

An extremely variable species with an upturned, shovel-like snout known for defensive displays like hood-flattening, hissing, and death-feigning.

Southern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon simus)

A Mississippi species of conservation concern that is smaller and stockier than its eastern relative, rarely exceeding $24\,\text{inches}$, and featuring a plain pale gray/white belly.

Dusty Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon nasicus gloydi)

A sandy prairie habitat snake with a hard, keeled snout ridge and a belly strongly patterned with black.

Prairie & Yellow-bellied Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster)

A tan to brown snake with smooth, glossy scales and dark brown blotches; older adults may appear nearly uniform dark brown.

Mole Kingsnake (Lampropeltis rhombomaculata)

A reddish-brown, black-edged blotched snake found in prairies and pastures that is nearly identical to the Prairie Kingsnake but distinguished by more strongly reddish color.

Speckled Kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki)

A glossy black snake whose descriptive name comes from a small yellow-white spot centered on nearly every scale, creating a 'salt-and-pepper' look.

Black Kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra)

A nearly solid glossy black snake that replaces the Speckled Kingsnake in the western part of the region, lacks fine yellow speckling as an adult.

Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides)

A small Batesian mimic of the coralsnake with red, black, and yellow banding where red bands are bordered by black ('Red touches black, friend of Jack').

Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum / L. gentilis)

A coral snake mimic featuring reddish blotches bordered in black, often identified by a Y- or V-shaped light marking on the back of the head.

Coachwhip (Coluber flagellum)

A fast, slender snake with a two-toned appearance (dark brown-black head shading to tan or pinkish tail) and a braided-looking scale pattern.

Mississippi Green Watersnake (Nerodia cyclopion)

A true bottomland specialist with olive-green coloring and an extra row of small scales between the eye and the labials (lip scales).

Plain-bellied / Yellow-bellied Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster)

A statewide watersnake distinguished by a solid, plain yellow to orange belly lacking any blotching or markings.

Southern & Broad-banded Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata)

A swamp-dwelling species with reddish-brown to gray-brown ground color and wide, dark crossbands that are widest at the top of the back.

Diamond-backed Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer)

The largest-bodied regional watersnake, identifiable by an olive to brown skin with a bold, dark, net-like chain or diamond pattern.

Saltmarsh Snake (Nerodia clarkii)

The only regional watersnake physiologically adapted for brackish and salt water, found in Gulf Coast tidal marshes.

Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)

An arboreal, bright grass-green snake with keeled dorsal scales that provide camouflage in foliage.

Smooth Greensnake (Opheodrys vernalis)

A terrestrial, bright green snake distinguished from its 'rough' relative by smooth, unkeeled dorsal scales.

Pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi / P. m. melanoleucus / P. ruthveni)

A large, powerfully built snake of conservation concern found in deep sandy soils; encompasses Black, Eastern, and Louisiana forms.

Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi)

A large, boldly blotched tan-and-brown snake of the Great Plains, distinguished by range and an elongated head shape.

Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

A bioindicator species of clean, rocky streams with olive-brown coloring and a strikingly striped yellow-and-brown belly.

Graham's Crawfish / Crayfish Snake (Regina grahamii)

A wetland species with a pale, unmarked yellow stripe low on each side situated on scale rows $1-2$.

Glossy & Gulf Swampsnake (Liodytes rigida)

A natricine snake with very smooth, high-gloss scales and three obscure dark stripes over olive-brown ground color.

DeKay's Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi)

A small, gray-brown snake with two rows of small dark spots flanking a paler central stripe and a plain pinkish-tan belly.

Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)

A small woodland snake with a vivid solid red, orange, or gray belly and three pale spots just behind the head.

Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata)

A tiny, plain tan to reddish-brown snake with a glossy black head cap and a pale, narrow band across the neck.

Flat-headed Snake (Tantilla gracilis)

A tiny snake with a notably flattened head shape and a faint dusky cap rather than a sharply black one.

Western Ribbonsnake / Orange-striped Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis proximus)

A very slender, water-associated snake with three bright stripes (often orange) and a long, whip-thin tail.

Eastern Ribbonsnake / Common Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis saurita)

A slender snake distinguished from the Western Ribbonsnake by a relatively longer tail and plain, unmarked upper lip (labial) scales.

Common & Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

The most widespread snake in the region, typically dark with three greenish-yellow stripes and a checkered pattern in between.

Checkered Gartersnake (Thamnophis marcianus)

A dry-habitat species with a bold black checkerboard pattern between three cream-yellow stripes on a pale tan-gray base.

Lined Snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum)

A small snake resembling a gartersnake but diagnostic for the double row of dark half-moons on its belly.

Rough Earthsnake (Haldea striatula)

A small, plain grayish-brown snake with keeled scales and a pointed snout.

Smooth Earthsnake (Virginia valeriae)

A plain gray-brown, small snake with smooth (unkeeled) dorsal scales, often overlapping habitat with the Rough Earthsnake.

Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)

The longest native North American snake (historically MS), glossy blue-black with a reddish-orange wash on the chin and throat; federally listed as threatened.

Pine Woods Littersnake (Rhadinaea flavilata)

A small, plain tan to reddish-brown snake with a faint dark line through the eye; rarely exceeds $1\,\text{foot}$ in length.

Texas Nightsnake (Hypsiglena jani)

A small, pale gray snake with vertical (cat-like) pupils and a distinctive dark, elongated blotch behind each eye.

Plains Threadsnake (Rena dulcis)

An extremely thin, pinkish-brown, worm-like snake with uniform body width and eyes reduced to dark dots.

Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus)

A non-native, all-female species introduced via potted plants that is glossy black-gray and lacks visible eyes.

Harlequin Coralsnake (Micrurus fulvius)

A venomous elapid with rings of red, yellow, and black where red touches yellow ('Red touches yellow, kill a fellow').

Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix / A. laticinctus)

A venomous pit viper with a coppery-tan ground color and dark, hourglass-shaped crossbands.

Northern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

A heavy-bodied venomous snake with a triangular head, heat-sensing pits, and a pale mouth lining that gives it its name.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

The largest venomous snake in North America, featuring bold black-bordered brown diamonds and a 'raccoon-tail' banded tail.

Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

A gray-tan to brown snake with dark diamonds and boldly contrasting black-and-white rings on the tail just above the rattle.

Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

A venomous snake with dark V- or chevron-shaped crossbands, a rusty dorsal stripe, and a solid black tail.

Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius streckeri)

A small venomous snake, rarely over $20\,\text{inches}$, with a tiny rattle that produces a faint, barely audible buzz.