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.