Rough Earthsnake vs. Smooth Earthsnake
The two earthsnakes: both small, plain and grey-brown with a long loreal scale touching the eye; they meet across the south-central states and in eastern Kansas (records share 98 one-degree squares). A: Only one scale behind the eye in the Rough Earthsnake; two scales behind the eye, one above the other in the Smooth Earthsnake. B: Keeled: each scale has a ridge, so the back looks rough in the Rough Earthsnake; smooth or only weakly keeled; often tiny black dots on the back in the Smooth Earthsnake. C: 5 scales along each upper lip in the Rough Earthsnake; 6 scales along each upper lip in the Smooth Earthsnake. A hand lens or a sharp close-up photo of the side of the head settles it. In Kansas the Rough Earthsnake lives only in the far southeast.
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