Rare. Seasonally aquatic. First vertebral scute in contact with four marginal scutes. Long, striped neck. Broad leg stripe. Vertically striped seat of pants. 
Arkansas Herpetological Atlas 2019
This species is represented by 45 records from 19 sources: 16 museum (
), 4 literature (
), 0 research (
), and 12 observation (
), with 13 additional Trauth et al. (2004) locality points remaining unsourced (
). It has been museum vouchered for 11 of 75 counties (), with 9 additional counties having other forms of reported occurrence (). Years of collection range from 1926 to 2017.
This uncommon species has a very spotty distribution record in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, South Central Plains, and Arkansas Valley. The unusual habits of this species, such as long aestivation retreats, and preferred habitat of temporally-flooded edge backwaters make sampling challenging. Several records from the Missouri Bootheel (Daniel and Edmond, 2020) suggest a wider distribution in the northeast corner of the state. A 2016 record from Miller County illustrates the need for further surveys across the South Central Plains. Trauth et al. (2004) plotted a number of localities along the western Arkansas Valley and scattered in the Ouachita Mountains which remain unsourced.
