Distribution
The estimated distribution from the Maxent model based on 90 presence
localities encompassing nearly all known, extant populations essentially
matches the range of the species, generally with high predicted
suitability (Fig. 1). Small regions of high suitability in northwest
Georgia and the Cumberland Plateau of south-central Tennessee and
northeastern Alabama may represent favorable extralimital habitat but
should be intensively surveyed for the possibility of historically
distributed populations that may have escaped previous notice. Of the 10
variables included in the model, only PET of the Wettest Quarter had a
substantial contribution to regularized gain (63%); followed by PET of
the Warmest Quarter (10%); and Level IV Ecoregions, BIO4 – Mean
Diurnal Range, and BIO18 – Precipitation of the Warmest Quarter (7%).
All remaining variables contributed less than 5%, suggesting low
overall importance.