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The Harlequin Coralsnake (Micrurus fulvius) is an iconic and imperiled species of the southeastern United States, but we know little of its ecology and natural history. We used our field notes on incidentally observed coralsnakes within three large, protected areas in Georgia and Florida (Apalachicola National Forest, Eglin Air Force Base, and Fort Stewart Military Installation) to generate information related to the habitat preferences of individual animals. We generated random location points in each of our study areas and compared the landscape-scale habitats surrounding them to the habitats surrounding coralsnake location points. We obtained evidence that coralsnakes exhibit hierarchal (i.e., multiscale) habitat selection. Specifically, coralsnakes were found in areas with more sandy soils (250 m scale) and scrub/shrub habitat (500 m scale) than random points across the landscape. Our study generates novel habitat information for a poorly known species.
THE Harlequin Coralsnake occurs, perhaps discontinuously, throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain, and, with its distinctive patterning and potent venom, is an iconic species of region. Few studies of this animal have been conducted despite it being the only representative member of Elapidae in North America east of the Mississippi River. As a result, we have limited information related to its natural history. The last publication that focused on the ecology of this species was published over 30 years ago (Jackson and Franz, 1981). A virtual absence of ecological information about the Harlequin Coralsnake has contributed to its designation as a species of high conservation concern in Alabama (Nelson, 2004). Similarly, the Harlequin Coralsnake is considered of conservation concern in state wildlife action plans for all states in which it occurs other than Georgia and Florida, although the Georgia Natural Heritage Program monitors the species.
Given widespread and large-scale loss of natural habitats in the southeastern United States (Noss et al., 2015), it is critical to determine the habitat preferences of potentially imperiled species. In fact, natural history information is vital for effective conservation planning (Dodd, 1987). However, our knowledge of Harlequin Coralsnake habitat preferences is generally limited to qualitative descriptions of occupied areas, and the species can be found in a wide variety of potential habitats. Pine and/or oak-dominated forests are among the natural habitats that support coralsnake populations and include sandhills, oak and sand...