Kingsnake
241692
224869365
2008-07-10T19:46:54Z
74.47.23.75
{{redirect|King snake|the Australian king brown snake|Pseudechis australis}}
:''"Lampropeltis" redirects here. The [[trilobite]] genus erroneously named so by Öpik in 1967 is now ''[[Lampropeltastes]]''.
{{Taxobox
| name = Kingsnakes
| image = Serpent roi bandes grises 01.JPG
| image_caption = Grey-banded Kingsnake<br>''[[Lampropeltis alterna]]''
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Sauropsida]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| subordo = [[Serpentes]]
| familia = [[Colubrid]]ae
| genus = '''''Lampropeltis'''''
| genus_authority = [[Leopold Fitzinger|Fitzinger]], [[1843]]
}}
'''Kingsnakes''' are a type of [[colubrid]] [[snake]] that are members of the ''Lampropeltis'' [[genus]], which also includes the [[milk snake]].
''Lampropeltis'' means "shiny shield" (from Greek λαμπρος, "shine" + πελτα, "small shield"), due to their dorsal scales. The majority of kingsnakes have quite vibrant patterns on their skin. Kingsnakes use [[constriction]] to kill their prey and tend to be opportunistic when it comes to their [[Diet (nutrition)|diet]]; they will eat other [[snake]]s ([[ophiophagy]]), [[lizard]]s, [[rodent]]s, [[bird]]s, and [[Egg (biology)|egg]]s. They are highly resistant to the [[venom (poison)|venom]] of other snakes and are known to eat [[rattlesnakes]]. The "king" in their name (as with the [[king cobra]]) is a reference to their taste for other [[snake]]s and their ability to overpower other snakes. Kingsnakes are commonly kept as [[pet]]s.
Some species of kingsnake, such as the [[Scarlet Kingsnake]], have coloration and patterning which can cause them to be confused with the venomous [[coral snakes]]. There are several mnemonic rhymes to help people distinguish between the coral snake and its non-venomous look-alikes, such as "If red touches black, it's OK, Jack. If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow." and "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, Don't kill Jack." These rhymes refer to the color of the rings on the snake, and only apply to those coral snakes found in the [[United States]].
[[taxonomy|Taxonomic]] reclassification is an ongoing process, and differing sources often disagree, granting full [[species]] status to a group of these snakes that another source considers a [[subspecies]]. In the case of ''[[Lampropeltis catalinensis]]'', for example, only a single specimen exists, and therefore classification is not necessarily finite. In addition, [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridization]] between species which have overlapping geographic ranges is not uncommon, confusing taxonomists further.
== Species ==
*Grey-Banded Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis alterna]]'' ([[A.E. Brown|Brown]], [[1901]])
*''[[Lampropeltis calligaster]]''
**Prairie Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster]]'' ([[Richard Harlan|Harlan]], [[1827]])
**South Florida Mole Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis calligaster occipitolineata]]'' ([[R.M. Price|Price]], [[1987]])
**Mole Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata]]'' ([[John Edwards Holbrook|Holbrook]], [[1840]])
*[[Santa Catalina Island, California|Santa Catalina Island]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis catalinensis]]'' ([[John Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh]] & [[J.R. Sleven|Slevin]], [[1921]])
*Common Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula]]''
**California Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula californiae]]'' ([[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], [[1835]])
**Florida Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula floridana]]'' ([[Frank N. Blanchard|Blanchard]], [[1919]])
**Eastern Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula getula]]'' ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1766]])
**[[Apalachicola]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula meansi]]'' ([[Kenneth L. Krysko|Krysko]] & [[Walter S. Judd|Judd]], [[2006]])
**Speckled Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula holbrooki]]'' ([[Leonhard Hess Stejneger|Stejneger]], [[1902]])
**Black Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula niger]]'' ([[H. C. Yarrow|Yarrow]], [[1882]])
**Black [[Mexico|Mexican]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula nigrita]]'' ([[Richard G. Zweifel|Zweifel]] & [[K.S. Norris|Norris]], [[1955]])
**Desert Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula splendida]]'' ([[Spencer Fullerton Baird|Baird]] & [[Charles Frédéric Girard|Girard]], [[1853]])
**Outer Banks Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis getula sticticeps]]'' ([[Thomas Barbour|Barbour]] & [[William Louis Engels|Engels]], [[1942]])
[[Image:Lampropeltis getula getula.jpg|235px|thumb|Eastern Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula getula]]
*''[[Lampropeltis mexicana]]''
**''[[Lampropeltis mexicana leonis]]'' ([[Albert C. L. G. Günther|Günther]], [[1893]])
**[[Durango]] Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis mexicana greeri]]'' ([[R. Webb|Webb]], [[1961]])
**[[Nuevo Leon]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri]]'' ([[A. Loveridge|Loveridge]], [[1924]])
*''[[Lampropeltis pyromelana]]''
**[[Utah]] Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis pyromelana infralabialis]]'' ([[Wilmer W. Tanner|Tanner]], [[1953]])
**[[Sonora]]n Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis pyromelana knoblochi]]'' ([[Edward Taylor|Taylor]], [[1940]])
**[[Arizona]] Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis pyromelana pyromelana]]'' ([[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], [[1866]])
*Ruthven's Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis ruthveni]]'' ([[Frank N. Blanchard|Blanchard]], [[1920]])
*''[[Lampropeltis triangulum]]''
** See: ''''''[[milk snake]]''''
[[Image:Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata.jpg|235px|thumb|Mole Kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata]]
**[[Scarlet]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides]]'' ([[John Edwards Holbrook|Holbrook]], [[1838]])
*''[[Lampropeltis webbi]]'' ([[R.W. Bryson|Bryson]], [[James R. Dixon|Dixon]] & [[D. Lazcano|Lazcano]], [[2005]])
*''[[Lampropeltis zonata]]''
**San Pedro Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis zonata agalma]]'' ([[John Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh]] & [[Joseph Richard Slevin|Slevin]], [[1923]])
**[[Todos Santos Island]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltihollysanders rockss zonata herrerae]]'' ([[John Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh]] & [[Joseph Richard Slevin|Slevin]], [[1923]])
**[[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Mountain]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis zonata multicincta]]'' ([[H. C. Yarrow|Yarrow]], [[1882]])
**[[Coast Mountains|Coast Mountain]] Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata]]'' ([[Marie Firmin Bocourt|Bocourt]], [[1886]])
**San Bernardino Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra]]'' ([[Richard G. Zweifel|Zweifel]], [[1952]])
**San Diego Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[San Diego Mountain Kingsnake|Lampropeltis zonata pulchra]]'' ([[Richard G. Zweifel|Zweifel]], [[1952]])
**St. Helena Mountain Kingsnake, ''[[Lampropeltis zonata zonata]]'' ([[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], [[1835]])
== References ==
[[Image:Speckled King Snake.jpg|thumb|right|235px|[[Speckled king snake|Speckled King Snake]]]]
*{{EMBL genus|genus=Lampropeltis}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.herpcenter.com/ The HC Network: An expanding reptile community site covering numerous species of reptile including Kingsnakes]
*[http://www.desertusa.com/magfeb98/feb_pap/du_kingsnake.html Desert USA: Common Kingsnake]
*[http://www.pet-care-portal.com/king-snake.html Kingsnakes as Pets]
*[http://herphangout.com/caresheet.php?sheet=54 Common Kingsnake Care Sheet]
*[http://www.reptilesweb.com/reptiles-section/snake-world.html List of Several Snakes, including world famous kingsnake]
*[http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=26 Common Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula] Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
*[http://www.mister-toad.com/photos/snake/kingsnake_eat_garter_01.html Kingsnake eating a garter snake]
{{commonscat|Lampropeltis}}
[[Category:Colubrids]]
[[de:Königsnattern]]
[[fr:Lampropeltis]]
[[lt:Karališkosios gyvatės]]
[[ja:キングヘビ属]]