'Survey and Monitoring of the Eastern Indigo Snake in Georgia'. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 267: 1-4. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Nota bene: A binomial authority or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Drymarchon. Unicolor cribo - Drymarchon melanurus unicolor H.M.Mexican red-tailed indigo snake - Drymarchon melanurus rubidus H.M.Orizaba indigo snake - Drymarchon melanurus orizabensis ( Dugès, 1905).Texas indigo snake - Drymarchon melanurus erebennus ( Cope, 1860).Black-tailed cribo - Drymarchon melanurus melanurus (A.M.C.Middle American indigo snake - Drymarchon melanurus ( A.M.C.Margarita indigo snake - Drymarchon margaritae Roze, 1959.Gulf Coast indigo snake - Drymarchon kolpobasileus Krysko, Granatosky, Nuñez & D.Eastern indigo snake - Drymarchon couperi ( Holbrook, 1842).Falcon indigo snake - Drymarchon caudomaculatus Wüster, Yrausquin & Mijares-Urrutia, 2001.Currently the genus includes six distinct species recognized by ITIS: One of the species has several subspecies which are recognized as being valid. The genus Drymarchon was formerly considered to be a monotypic taxon formed by subspecies of D. Species and subspecies Drymarchon melanurus erebennus Permits are also required in order to keep or transport this species. Indigo snakes are currently protected under the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission which makes it illegal to possess, harm, or harass them. Populations in Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina have been largely lost due to habitat destruction, poaching, and killings. These burrows can be used to hide from predators, fires, and extreme temperatures. They use a variety of different habitats, including longleaf pine-turkey oak sandhills, pine and scrub flatwoods, dry prairie, tropical hardwoods, freshwater wetlands, and coastal dunes however, winter survival, especially in northern portions of its range, depends on the availability of appropriate shelters which are primarily Gopher Tortoise burrows.

couperi is reported as extending from the Coastal Plain of southern Georgia to peninsular Florida and the lower Florida Keys west to Southeastern Mississippi. Typical threat display includes hissing and shaking of its tail as a warning. They are not aggressive snakes and will bite only when threatened. Indigo snakes will also eat small gopher tortoises when they are available. They feed on a broad variety of small animals such as rodents, birds, lizards, frogs, toads, and other snakes, including rattlesnakes. Indigo snakes are diurnal and actively forage for prey. This is thought to be due to intraspecies competition from the males. The species in this genus are sexually dimorphic, with the males being larger than the females. This snake genus, Drymarchon, means 'Lord of The Forest'. They have smooth dorsal scales, and several color variations, including a glossy blue-black color. Drymarchon is a genus of large nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly known as indigo snakes or cribos, found in the Southeastern United States, Central America, and South America.

1995 range map texas indigo snake