(in two volumes) ( Carphophis amoenus vermis, pp. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, A Division of Cornell University Press. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. What Snake Is That? A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. If handled, it may press its tail tip into the captor's hand as a defense mechanism. vermis will often release foul smelling musk from its cloaca. The western worm snake's diet consists almost entirely of earthworms, but it will also consume soft-bodied insects. Hatchlings range in size from 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.2 cm) in total length. Clutch size is normally 1-8 eggs, and hatching takes place in August or September. Little is known about the mating habits of the western worm snake, but breeding likely occurs in the early spring. It is abundant within its range, but rarely seen due to its secretive nature. vermis is fossorial, and spends the vast majority of time buried in loose, rocky soil, or under damp forest leaf litter.
The western worm snake is found in the United States in southern Iowa, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, western Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, eastern Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas with isolated records from southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Arkansas and middle Tennessee. Īdults are usually from 19–28 cm (7.5–11 in) in total length (including tail) however, the maximum recorded total length is 37.5 cm (14.8 in). The western worm snake has a dark, black or purplish dorsal coloration, with a lighter, pink or reddish underside. The specific name, vermis, is Latin for "worm".
Carphophis vermis (common name western worm snake) is a species of small, nonvenomous colubrid snake native to the United States.
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