Arkansas Herpetological Atlas 2019
This species is represented by 205 records from 18 sources: 180 museum (), 4 literature (), 0 research (), and 19 observation (), with 2 additional Trauth et al. (2004) locality points remaining unsourced (). It has been museum vouchered for 20 of 75 counties (), with 2 additional counties having other forms of reported occurrence (). Years of collection range from 1912 to present.
This highly aquatic species has a limited distribution in the South Central Plains and Mississippi Alluvial Plain, with records in association with the following river systems: Arkansas, Little, Mississippi, Ouachita, Saline, and White rivers and Bayou Bartholomew. Records from northwestern Pike County (UAFMC 0068-0735-0688 and 0068-0735-2540 from 1953 and ANHC ARADB22010*020 from 1957) are suspect and warrant reexamination due to the similarities in appearance with Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer.