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Tantilla relicta

Telford, 1966

Florida Crowned Snake

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101122
Element CodeARADB35080
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusTantilla
Concept Reference
Telford, S.R., Jr. 1980. Tantilla relicta. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 257.1-257.2
Taxonomic Comments
Collins (1991) proposed that subspecies pamlica be recognized as a distinct species but did not present any supporting data.
Conservation Status
Review Date2014-02-10
Change Date2014-02-10
Edition Date2014-02-10
Edition AuthorsJackson, D. R. (2014); Hammerson, G. (2006)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Rank Reasons
Though occupying a relatively broad portion of peninsular Florida, and probably abundant in terms of individual numbers, the species mostly occurs in xeric upland habitats that are subject to high levels of destruction and alteration for a variety of human uses.
Range Extent Comments
The range extends disjunctly through peninsular Florida and northward into southern Georgia (Ashton and Ashton 1981, Conant and Collins 1991, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Jensen et al. 2008).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations) (Telford 1980, Krysko et al. 2011).
Threat Impact Comments
The xeric upland habitats that comprise much of the occupied range in peninsular Florida have faced and continue to face high levels of destruction for a variety of human uses, including agriculture, citriculture, silviculture, and urbanization. This is especially true in southeastern Florida (Wilson and Porras 1983).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitats include sandhills, sand pine scrub, coastal dunes, and xeric and mesic hammocks (Ashton and Ashton 1981, Ernst and Ernst 2003); it is more common in sandhills than in scrub habitat (Mushinsky and Witz 1993). In scrub habitat, this snake appears to most common in early successional stages generated by periodic disturbance (e.g., fire, clear cutting) that removes the matted understory or pine canopy (Campbell and Christman 1982). Fire periodicity evidently has no influence on local distribution in sandhill habitat (Mushinsky and Witz 1993). This secretive, fossorial snake is usually under the soil surface or under surface cover; it also uses pocket gopher mounds.

Ecology

In central Florida, may be the exclusive prey of the short-tailed snake (see Mushinsky and Witz 1993).

Reproduction

In central Florida, gravid females were found in mid-March, late April-early June (mainly), and early August; farther north, females with visible eggs were captured from March to August (Mushinsky and Witz 1993). Lays 1-3 eggs in spring or summer (Behler and King 1979). Hatchlings have been found in May and June (Mushinsky and Witz 1993).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSand/dune
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS3Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial development——High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas——High (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas——High (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas——High (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture——High (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber crops——High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications——High (continuing)
7.3 - Other ecosystem modifications——High (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
References (17)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1981. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part One: The Snakes. Windward Publishing Company, Miami, Florida. 176 pp.
  2. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  3. Campbell, H. W., and S. P. Christman. 1982a. The herpetological components of Florida sandhill and sand pine scrub associations. Pages 163-171 in N. J. Scott (editor). Herpetological communities. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wildlife Res. Rep. 13.
  4. Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
  5. Collins, J. T. 1991. Viewpoint: a new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. SSAR Herpetol. Review 22:42-43.
  6. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  7. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  8. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
  9. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  10. Dowling, H. G. 1993. Viewpoint: a reply to Collins (1991, 1992). Herpetol. Rev. 24:11-13.
  11. Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.
  12. Jensen, J. B., C. D. Camp, W. Gibbons, and M. J. Elliot, editors. 2008. Amphibians and reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens. xvii + 575 pp.
  13. Krysko, K. L., K. M. Enge, and P. E. Moler. 2011. Atlas of amphibians and reptiles in Florida. Final report to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida. Submitted 15 December 2011.
  14. Mushinsky, H. R., and B. W. Witz. 1993. Notes on the peninsula crowned snake, <i>Tantilla relicta</i>, in periodically burned habitat. J. Herpetol. 27:468-470.
  15. Telford, S.R., Jr. 1980. <i>Tantilla relicta</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 257.1-257.2
  16. Tennant, A. 1997. A field guide to snakes of Florida. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xiii + 257 pp.
  17. Wilson, L. D., and L. Porras. 1983. The ecological impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History, Lawrence.