Abstract
The distribution and variation of the Carolina pigmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus m. mili- arius, in North Carolina are described. Two color populations are recognized: an erythristic popu- lation inhabiting the northeastern periphery of the range, and a grayish population occurring in the southern portion of the state. The erythristic form is not afforded taxonomic status because of its limited range combined with an extensive area of intergradation. * * * Gloyd (1935) divided the pigmy rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius into three subspecies: bar- bouri, streckeri, and the nominate form. The scarcity of museum specimens from North Carolina was noted in a monographic treatment of the rattlesnake genera Sistrurus and Crotalus (Gloyd, 1940) in which only nine specimens were listed from the state. This lack of material, combined with little previous field work in the northeastern Coastal Plain of North Carolina, has prevented recognition of a unique erythristic population of S. miliarius. A description of this population and the distribution and variation of the species in the state are discussed here.
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