The specific name or epithet, lineri, is in honor of American herpetologist Ernest A. Liner (1925–2010), who collected the first specimen in 1963.

[4] The Texas scarlet snake is the larger of the two scarlet snake species, and is capable of growing to a total length (including tail) of 66 cm (26 inches).

It has a gray or white background color, with distinct red blotches that have black borders.

It prefers sandy thicket habitats along the Gulf of Mexico coastline.

[citation needed] The preferred diet of C. lineri is the eggs of other reptiles, but it will also eat small rodents and lizards.