Lampropeltis californiae Blainville 1835
| Main Authors: | Pyron, Alexander, Burbrink, Frank T. |
|---|---|
| Format: | info publication-taxonomictreatment Journal |
| Terbitan: |
, 2009
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/6219716 |
Daftar Isi:
- Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville 1835) (Figs. 1–3) California Kingsnake Holotype: Unknown, collected by M. Botta. Type Locality: ‘California’ (Blainville 1835). Restricted to Fresno, California by Schmidt (1953). Etymology: Specific epithet refers to the type locality. Synonymy: This species is essentially co-terminous with the previously recognized subspecies L. g. californiae, and L. g. nigrita. Diagnosis: The California Kingsnake (L. californiae) is a medium- to large-bodied constrictor, with a mean adult size range of 76–122cm, and a maximum size of ~ 200cm (Stebbins 2003). In both sexes, ventral scale counts range from 213–255, with 46–63 subcaudal scales in males and 44–57 in females (Blaney 1977). Scales are smooth and anal plate single, with 23–25 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The California Kingsnake exhibits one of the broadest ranges of any kingsnake species, occupying most habitats west of the continental divide at the Cochise filter barrier (Fig. 2). The species ranges from Oregon in the north, through the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, east to extreme southwestern Colorado, south through the majority of California, Arizona and the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California Norte, and Baja Sur (Fig. 2). The California Kingsnake can be distinguished from other species on the basis of color pattern, possibly the most distinct of the group. Throughout the majority of their range, California Kingsnakes exhibit a black or dark brown ground color, with 21–44 broad crossbands of white or light yellow, which typically widen laterally. Along the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to San Diego counties, individuals can be found possessing a black or dark brown ground color and a single thin, white dorsal stripe beginning at the neck and continuing to to the tail (Fig. 3). Finally, populations in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa may exhibit considerable ontogenetic darkening, with adults, and occasionally subadults and even juveniles turning jet black, with almost no trace of pattern (Blaney 1977; Stebbins 2003). To which species the Sonora populations belong is unclear; while we group them with L. californiae on the basis of geography, some authors have suggested that they resemble and hybridize with both L. g. ‘splendida’ and L. g. ‘californiae’ (Blanchard 1921; Blaney 1977).
- Published as part of Pyron, Alexander & Burbrink, Frank T., 2009, Systematics of the Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula; Serpentes: Colubridae) and the burden of heritage in taxonomy, pp. 22-32 in Zootaxa 2241 on pages 27-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190597