THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-snakes)    Colubridae  

California Mountain Kingsnake
Lampropeltis zonata (Lockington ex Blainville, 1876)
lam-proh-PEL-tis — ZOH-nah-tah

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.02.17.23.34.13)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.5 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: California Oregon Washington

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its ringed pattern.
Lampropeltis —  Derived 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.
zonata — Aa pattern-based morphology descriptor. It is the feminine singular form of the Latin adjective zōnātus (“banded, belted”), itself derived from Greek zṓnē (ζώνη, “band, belt”). In taxonomic usage, zonata is almost exclusively employed as a species epithet and rarely appears in other inflected forms. As a first/second declension adjective, it agrees in gender with the genus Lampropeltis. The name refers to the distinctive banded pattern of the species, consisting of a triad of red and black rings (a red band flanked by black bands), with successive triads separated by white or cream-colored bands. The banded triad pattern of Lampropeltis zonata exemplifies Batesian mimicry: the nonvenomous kingsnake’s coloration imitates that of venomous coral snakes. Interestingly, however, the geographic distribution of L. zonata does not overlap with that of North American coral snakes.

First instance(s) of published English names:
California King Snake (Lampropeltis zonata: Van Denburgh, John. 1897. The reptiles of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin: An account of the species known to inhabit California, and Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 5():9-236); California King Snake (Lampropeltis zonata: Van Denburgh, John. 1922. The Reptiles of Western North America: An Account of the Species Known to Inhabit California and Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Volume I. Lizards. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. 556pp.); Coral King Snake (Lampropeltis multicincta: 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.); Coral King Snake (Lampropeltis zonata: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Sierra Coral King Snake (Lampropeltis zonata multicincta: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Coast Range Coral King Snake (Lampropeltis zonata zonata: 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:
1835 Blainville, Henri-Marie Ducrotay. Description de quelques espèces de reptiles de la Californie: Précédée de l'analyse d'un systéme général d'erpétologie et d'amphibiologie. [Description of some species of reptiles from California: Preceded by the analysis of a general system of herpetology and amphibiology.] Nouvelles Annales Du Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris [ New Annals of the Natural History Museum, Paris] 3(2):233-296
1876 Lockington, William N. Description of a new genus and species of colubrine snake. Proceedings of the California Academy of Science 7:52-53
1921 Blanchard, Frank N. A revision of the king snakes: Genus Lampropeltis.. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (114):1-260
1932 Linsdale, Jean M. Amphibians and reptiles from Lower California. University of California Publications in Zoology 38:345-386
1936 Burt, Charles E. The nomenclature of Western Coral King Snakes, Lampropeltis zonata versus L. multicincta. Copeia 1936(2):94-98
1938 Peters, J. L. The name of the western coral king snake. Copeia 19038(2):93
1943 Klauber, Laurence. M. Tail-length differences snakes, with notes on sexual dimorphism and the coefficient of divergence. Bulletin of the Zoological Society of San Diego (18):5-60
1943 Klauber, Laurence M. The coral king snakes of the Pacific Coast. of the San Diego Society of Natural History 10(6):75-82
1945 Smith, Hobart M. and Edward H. Taylor. An annotated checklist and key to the snakes of Mexico. United States National Museum Bulletin (187):239
1952 Zweifel, Richard G. Pattern variation and evolution of the Mountain Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata. Copeia 1952(3):152-168
1973 Blaney, Richard M.. Lampropeltis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (150):1-2
1975 Zweifel, Richard G. Lampropeltis zonata. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (174):1-4
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibins and reptiles Herpetological Review 22(2):42-43
1999 Rodriguez-Robles, Javier A., Christopher J. Bell, and Harry W. Greene. Phylogeography of the California Mountain Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata (Colubridae). Molecular Ecology 8:1923-1934
2006 Rissler, Leslie J., Robert J. Hijmans, Catherine H. Graham, Craig Mortiz, and David B. Wake. Phylogenetic lineages and species comparisons in conservation analyses: A case study of California herpetofauna. The American Naturalist 167(5):655-666
2013 Myers, E. A., Javier A. Rodríguez-Robles, Dale Denardo, R. E. Staub, A. Stropoli, Sara Ruane, and Frank T. Burbrink Multilocus phylogeographic assessment of the California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) suggests alternative patterns of diversification for the California Floristic Province. Molecular Ecology 22(21):5418-5429
2014 Crother, Brian I. The bold taxonomic hypotheses of Collins (1991): 23 years later. Herpetological Review 45(2):268-272

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:55 CT