THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-snakes)    Colubridae  

Gray-banded Kingsnake
Lampropeltis alterna (Brown, 1901)
lam-proh-PEL-tis — al-TER-nuh

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Based on morphology and color pattern, Hansen and Salmon (2017, Mesoamerican Herpetology 4: 699–758) assign all U.S. populations to a monotypic L. alterna. Using genome-scale data, Myers et al. (2019, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 131(2019): 211–218) reported three lineages within L. alterna, again with only L. alterna occurring in the U.S. (Boundy, Jeff, Frank T. Burbrink, and Sara Ruane. 2025. Squamata (excluding lizards) – Snakes. Pages 38-54 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.11.13.16.24.38)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.96 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: New Mexico Texas

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its banded coloration.
Lampropeltis — Derives from the Greek lamprós (λαμπρός), meaning “shiny,” and péltē (πέλτη), meaning “shield.” The name likely alludes to the genus’ smooth, glossy scales, which resemble a polished shield.
alterna — A morphology-based descriptor derived from the Latin adjective alternus (“alternating”). It appears in the feminine form to agree with the gender of the genus Lampropeltis and follows first/second declension usage. The name refers to the alternating pattern of dorsal black bands on a gray ground color, where some are distinctly wider and others narrower. As described in the original publication: “The ground color is slate gray, crossed on the back, at intervals of 3 to 5 scales, by bands of black which are alternately wider and narrower, the wide ones covering from 2 to 8 scales on the middle of the back, and more or less divided transversely on their centres with scarlet.”

First instance(s) of published English names:
Alternating King Snake (Ophibolus alternus: Brown, Arthur, E. 1902. Report of the Board of Directors. Pages 5-22 in Thirtieth Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. Allen, Lane, and Scott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. pp.); Davis Mountain King Snake (Lampropeltis alterna: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Blair's Coral King Snake (Lampropeltis blairi: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1901 Brown, Arthur Erwin. A review of the genera and species of American snakes, north of Mexico. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 53(1):10-110
1920 Blanchard, Frank N. A synopsis of the king snakes: Genus Lampropeltis Fitzinger. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (87):1-7
1941 Smith, Hobart M. Lampropeltis alterna from Mexico. Copeia 1941(2):112
1950 Flury, Alvin. A new king snake from Trans-Pecos Texas. Copeia 1950(3):215-217
1951 Axtell, Ralph W. An additional specimen of Lampropeltis blairi from Texas. Copeia 1951(4):313 + 1 plate
1961 Webb, Robert G. A new kingsnake from Mexico, with remarks on the mexicana group of the genus Lampropeltis. Copeia 1961(3):326-333
1962 Gehlbach, Frederick R. and James K. Baker. Kingsnakes allied with Lampropeltis mexicana: Taxonomy and natural history. Copeia 1962(2):291-300
1965 Gehlbach, Frederick R. and Clarence J. McCoy, Jr. Additional observations on variation and distribution of the gray-banded kingsnake, Lampropeltis mexicana (Garman). Herpetologica 21(1):35-38
1967 Gehlbach, Frederick R. Lampropeltis mexicana. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (55):1-2
1970 Tanzer, Ernest C. Polymorphism in the mexicana complex of kingsnakes, with notes on their natural history. Herpetologica 26(4):419-428
1972 Baker, Robert J., George A. Mengden, and James J. Bull. Karyotypic studies of thirty-eight species of North American snakes . Copeia 1972(2):257-265
1973 Blaney, Richard M.. Lampropeltis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (150):1-2
1974 Worthington, Richard D. and Edward R. Arvizo. Western records of the Davis Mountains Kingsnake, Lampropeltis mexicana alterna, in Texas. Southwestern Naturalist. 19(3):330-331
1979 Miller, Dennis J. A Life History Stude of the Gray-banded Kingsnake, Lampropeltis mexicana alterna, in Texas. Thesis. Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas. 45pp.
1982 Garstka, William R. Systematics of the Mexicana species group of the colubrid genus Lampropeltis, with an hypothesis mimicry. Breviora 466:1-35
1998 Hilken, G. and R. Schlepper. Der Lampropeltis mexicana-Komplex (Serpentes, Colubridae): Naturgeschichte und Terrarienhaltung. pp. 97-124 Salamandra 34:97–124
2007 Bryson, Robert W., JR., Jennifer Pastorini, Frank T. Burbrink, and Michael R. J. Forstner. A phylogeny of the Lampropeltis mexicana complex (Serpentes: Colubridae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences suggests evidence for species level polyphyly within Lampropeltis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43(2):674-684
2016 Nevárez-de los Reyes, M., J. Banda-Leal, D. Lazcano, Robert W. Bryson, and Robert W. Hansen. Distribution notes: Noteworthy records of snakes of the Lampropeltis mexicana complex from northeastern Mexico. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3(4):1055-1058
2017 Hansen, Robert W. and Gerard T. Salmon. Distribution analysis, taxonomic updates, and conservation status of the Lampropeltis mexicana group (Serpentes: Colubridae). Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(4):700–758.
2018 Blair, R. C. and Robert W. Hansen. Geographic distribution: Lampropeltis alterna (Gray-banded Kingsnake). Herpetological Review 49(4):718
2019 Myers, Edward A, Robert W .Bryson, Jr., Robert W .Hansen, Matthew L. Aardema, David Lazcano, and Frank T. Burbrink. Exploring Chihuahuan Desert diversification in the Gray-banded Kingsnake, Lampropeltis alterna (Serpentes:Colubridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 131(2019):211–218

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:54 CT