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Lampropeltis zonata (LOCKINGTON, 1835)

IUCN Red List - Lampropeltis zonata - Least Concern, LC

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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Lampropeltini, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: California Mountain Kingsnake
multicincta: Sierra Mountain Kingsnake
multifasciata: Coast Mountain Kingsnake
parvirubra: San Bernardino Mountain Kingsnake
pulchra: San Diego Mountain Kingsnake
zonata: St. Helena Mountain Kingsnake
G: Bergkönigsnatter, Korallen-Königsnatter 
SynonymColuber (Zacholus) zonatus LOCKINGTON in BLAINVILLE 1835: 293
Bellophis zonata — LOCKINGTON 1876: 53
Ophibolus getulus multicinctus YARROW 1882
Ophibolus triangulus var. zonatus — GARMAN 1884: 66
Coronella multifasciata BOCOURT 1886: 616
Lampropeltis agalma VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN 1923: 2
Lampropeltis herrerae VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN 1923: 2
Lampropeltis zonata — FITCH 1936
Lampropeltis multicincta — LEWIS 1942
Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra ZWEIFEL 1952
Lampropeltis zonata pulchra ZWEIFEL 1952
Lampropeltis zonata — STEBBINS 1985: 192
Lampropeltis zonata pulchra — MEHRTENS 1987: 131
Lampropeltis zonata — LINER 1994
Lampropeltis zonata multicincta — CROTHER 2000: 64
Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata — CROTHER 2000: 64
Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra — CROTHER 2000: 64
Lampropeltis zonata zonata — CROTHER 2000: 64
Lampropeltis zonata pulchra — CROTHER 2000: 64
Lampropeltis herrerae — GRISMER 2001
Lampropeltis herrerae — GRISMER 2002
Lampropeltis zonata — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009
Lampropeltis zonata — MYERS et al. 2013
Lampropeltis multifasciata — MYERS et al. 2013
Lampropeltis zonata — WALLACH et al. 2014: 360
Lampropeltis herrerae — LEMOS-ESPINAL 2015
Lampropeltis multifasciata — LEMOS-ESPINAL 2015
Lampropeltis zonata herrerae — HEIMES 2016
Lampropeltis herrerae — JOHNSON et al. 2017
Lampropeltis multifasciata — CROTHER et al. 2017
Lampropeltis herrerae — PERALTA-GARCÍA et al. 2023
Lampropeltis multifasciata — PERALTA-GARCÍA et al. 2023 
DistributionUSA (Oregon, Washington, California),
Mexico (Baja California Norte)

herrerae: Mexico (Baja California: South Todos Santos Island); Type locality: South Todos Santos Island, Lower California, Mexico

multicincta: Washington

multifasciata: USA (S California), Mexico (N Baja California); Type locality: San Luis-Obispo, California.

zonata: S Oregon, N California; Type locality: Northern California.  
Reproductionoviparous. KREUTZ (2005) reports hybrids between Elaphe (= Pantherophis) guttata and Lampropeltis getulus californiae, between E. (P.) guttata and L. pyromelana, between E. (P.) guttata and L. triangulum sinaloae/nelsoni, and between E. (P.) guttata and L. zonata! 
TypesHolotype: lost, was CAS (lost fide MYERS et al. 2013).
Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH 38667 [pulchra]
Holotype: CAS 56755 [herrerae]
Holotype: CAS 56865, “7000 ft altitude near Alcatraz, San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California, Mexico” [agalma]
Holotype: MNHN 1884.326 [multifasciata]
Holotype: MVZ 42407 (adult male) [parvirubra]
Holotype: USNM 11753 [Ophibolus getulus multicinctus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: L. zonata is likely to be confused only with L. pyromelana or with western races of L. triangulum (both allopatric to zonata, but see diagnosis of L. z. herrerae). L. pyromelana has the snout largely white, whereas it is black or black with red markings in zonata. In triangulum with a pattern similar to that of zonata, the white rings tend to broaden as they approach the ventrals rather than remain narrow as in zonata. Most individuals of these two species also differ in numbers of ventral and subcaudal scales: ventrals 194-227 in zonata (Zweifel, 1952) but 175-198 in westernmost triangulum (L. t. taylori; Tanner and Loomis, 1957); subcaudals respectively are 46-62 and 38-54. (Zweifel 1974)


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CommentAuthorship: the original description in Blainville does not mention Lockington on the page of the actual description.

Keogh (1996) could not distinguish among L. pyromelana, L. triangulum, and L. zonata. CROTHER (2000) gives “1876” as the year of description.

Subspecies: COLLINS (1991) elevates some of the subspecies to full species status. RODRÍGUEZ-ROBLES et al. (1999) states that “the two main colour pattern characters used to define the subspecies of L. zonata are so variable that they cannot be reliably used to differentiate taxonomic units within this complex, which calls into question the recognition of seven geographical races of this snake.” Collins & Taggart (2009) do not recognize subspecies either. MYERS et al. (2013) split L. zonata into L. zonata and L. multifasciata based on molecular data. The two “species” are not distinguishable morphologically but they “inhabit distinct climatic environments”. The authors provide a distribution map of the two species. See MYERS et al. 2013 for a synonymy of the two forms. Rodríguez-Robles et al. (1999) noted on the basis of DNA sequence data that L. herrerae formed a unique lineage. While Hayes (1975) recommended elevating L. herrerae to full species, they felt that doing so on the basis of their DNA sequence data alone would be premature in the absence of a morphological analysis.

Distribution: see Hardy 1973 for a map of subspecies as understood at the time. 
EtymologyNamed after the Latin zonata, meaning banded, derived from Greek zonë, a girdle or belt;

The Greek agalma means a delight, or an ornament.

Alfonso Herrera was a Mexican naturalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries;

L. z. multicincta and multifasciata derive from the Latin multus, meaning many,
cinctus, meaning banded, and fascis, a bundle or band.

L. z. parvirubra is from the Latin parvus, meaning little, and ruber, meaning red.

L. z. pulchra is Latin for beautiful. 
References
  • Basey, R. Terry. 2014. Lampropeltis zonata (California mountain kingsnake) diet. Herpetological Review 45 (1): 144-145 - get paper here
  • Blainville, Henri Marie Ducrotay de 1835. Description de quelques espèces de reptiles de la Californie précédée de l’analyse d’un système général d’erpétologie et d’amphibiologie. Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 4: 233-296 - get paper here
  • Blanchard, Frank N. 1920. A synopsis of the king snakes: Genus Lampropeltis Fitzinger. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (87): 1-7 - get paper here
  • Bocourt, M. F. 1886. In A. Duméril, M. F. Bocourt, and F. Mocquard, (1870-1909), Etudes sur les reptiles, p. i-xiv, 1-1012. In Recherches Zoologiques pour servir a l'Histoire de Ia Faune de l'Amérique Centrale et du Mexique. Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amér Imprimerie Impériale, Paris, Vol. 3 - get paper here
  • Burt, Charles E. 1936. The nomenclature of western coral king snakes, Lampropeltis zonata versus L. multicincta. Copeia 1936 (2): 94-98 - get paper here
  • Collins J T 1991. Viewpoint: a new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. Herpetological Review 22 (2): 42-43 - get paper here
  • Collins, J.T. and T. W. Taggart 2009. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Sixth Edition. Center for North American Herpetology, 48 pp.
  • Coote, Jon' 1982. Literature: The Californian mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) and the Coral snake mimic problem. Litteratura Serpentium 2 (6): 308 - get paper here
  • Crother, B. I. 2000. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Herpetological Circular 29: 1-82
  • Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92
  • Fitch, H. S. 1936. Amphibians and reptiles of the Rouge River Basin, Oregon. American Midland Naturalist 17: 634-652 - get paper here
  • Greene, H.W. & J.A. Rodríguez-Robles 2003. Feeding ecology of the California mountain kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata (Colubridae) Copeia 2003 (2): 308-314. - get paper here
  • Grismer, L. L. 2001. Bull. Southern Calif. Acad. Sci. 100(1):12-23. - get paper here
  • Hansen, Robert W., Richard Cazares and Alexus Cazares. 2015. Lampropeltis zonata (California mountain kingsnake) predation. Herpetological Review 46 (4): 645-646 - get paper here
  • Heimes, P. 2016. Snakes of Mexico. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 572 pp
  • Johnson, J. D., L. D. Wilson, V. Mata-Silva, E. García-Padilla, and D. L. DeSantis. 2017. The endemic herpetofauna of Mexico: organisms of global significance in severe peril. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(3): 544–620 - get paper here
  • Keogh, J. Scott 1996. Evolution of the colubrid snake tribe Lampropeltini: a morphological perspective. Herpetologica 52 (3): 406-416 - get paper here
  • Kreutz, R. 2005. Farb- und Zeichnungsstandard der Kornnatter (Panterhophis guttatus). Kirschner und Seufer Verlag, Keltern-Weiler, 158 pp.
  • Lemos-Espinal, Julio A. (ed.) 2015. Amphibians and Reptiles of the US - Mexico Border States / Anfibios y Reptiles de los Estados de la Frontera México - Estados Unidos. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas. x + 614 pp.; ISBN 978-1-62349-306-6. - get paper here
  • Lewis, Thomas H. 1942. Additional records for Washington snakes. Copeia 1942 (2): 129 - get paper here
  • McKeown, Sean;Morgan, Mary 1996. Two size records for California snakes. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 31 (12): 217-218 - get paper here
  • Mehrtens, J.M. 1987. Living snakes of the world in color. Sterling Publ. Co., hic., New York, NY: 480 pp.
  • MYERS, E. A.; J. A. RODRÍGUEZ-ROBLES, D. F. DENARDO, R. E. STAUB, A. STROPOLI, S. RUANE and F. T. BURBRINK 2013. Multilocus phylogeographic assessment of the California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) suggests alternative patterns of diversification for the California Floristic Province. Molecular Ecology, doi: 10.1111/mec.12478 - get paper here
  • Nussbaum, R.A., Brodie, E.D., Jr., & Storm, R.M. 1983. Amphibians and reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Univ. Press of Idaho, Moscow 332 pp.
  • O’Connor, A. 2012. The Columbia River george. HerpNation (9): 20-21 - get paper here
  • O’Shea, M. 2018. The Book of Snakes. Ivy Press / Quarto Publishing, London, - get paper here
  • Peralta-García A, Valdez-Villavicencio JH, Fucsko LA, Hollingsworth BD, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, Rocha A, DeSantis DL, Porras LW, and Wilson LD. 2023. The herpetofauna of the Baja California Peninsula and its adjacent islands, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 17(1&2): 57–142
  • Rodríguez-Robles, Javier A., Good, David A., Wake, David B. 2003. Brief History of Herpetology in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, with a List of Type Specimens of Recent Amphibians and Reptiles. UC Publications in Zoology, 119 pp. - get paper here
  • Rodríguez-Robles, Javier A.; Denardo, D.F. & Staub, R.E. 1999. Phylogeography of the California mountain kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata (Colubridae). Molecular Ecology 8: 1923–1934 - get paper here
  • Stebbins,R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Thissen, R. & Hansen, H. 2001. Königsnattern - Lampropeltis. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 172 pp. - get paper here
  • TRYON, B. W., & MURPHY, J. B. 1982. Miscellaneous Notes on the Reproductive Biology of Reptiles. 5. Thirteen Varieties of the Genus Lampropeltis, species mexicana, triangulum and zonata. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 85 (2): 96-119 - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh, J.; Slevin, J. R. 1923. Preliminary diagnoses of four new snakes from Lower California, Mexico. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (4) 13 (1): 1-2 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Waters, Nick D. 2013. Geographic Distribution: Lampropeltis zonata (California mountain kingsnake). Herpetological Review 44 (2): 275 - get paper here
  • Yarrow, H.C. 1882. Description of new species of reptiles and amphibians in the US National Museum. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 5: 438-443 - get paper here
  • Zweifel, Richard G. 1975. Lampropeltis zonata. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (174): 1-4 - get paper here
  • Zweifel,R.G. 1952. Pattern variation and evolution of the mountain kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata. Copeia 1952 (3): 152-168 - get paper here
 
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