Belly gray, with black clouding; preocular usually divided; Pacific States 

 Thamnophis ordinoides hiscutatus (Cope) Klamath Garter 

 Snake 



80. Lateral stripes absent or very faint; with dark spots on the back, except 

 in old specimens; Ariz, to Texas 



Thamnophis angustirostris (Kennicott) Spotted Garter Snake 

 Lateral stripes distinct; usually with alternating rows of dark spots 8L 



8L Preocular usually single; lateral stripes mostly gray; Oregon 



Thamnophis ordinoides hydrophila Fitch Oregon Garter Snake 

 Preocular usually divided; lateral stripes yellow 82. 



82. Usually with ten lower labials; belly usually mostly pale; Cal. 



Thamnoph-is ordinoides hammondu (Kennicott) California 

 Garter Snake 

 Usually with eleven lower labials; belly often with black markings; Cal. 

 into Nevada 



Thamnophis ordmoides conchii (Kennicott) 

 Sierra Nevada Garter Snake 



83. Eye distinctly small; pairs of plates beneath chin about the same size; 



scale rows often 17; lower labials usually eight or nine; dorsal stripe 

 sometimes red; West Coast 



Thamnophis ordmoides ordmoides (B. & G.) Western Garter 



Snake 



Length of eye about equal to the distance from eye to nostril; second pair 



of plates beneath chin longer than the first pair; scale rows usually 19; 



lower labials usually nine or ten 84. 



84. Upper labials usually eight 85. 

 Upper labials usually seven 86. 



85. Head as wide as the width through the thickest part of the body; dorsal 



stripe on only one row of scales for most of length; with a yellow 

 crescent on each side of head behind corner of mouth; color brownish, 

 red tinted; Utah to Ariz, and Texas 



Thamnophis eques eques (Reuss) Brown Garter Snake 

 Head narrower; dorsal stripe wider; often with red in the coloration; 

 Cal. coast 



Thamnophis ordinoides atratus (Kennicott) Coastal Garter 

 Snake 



86. With whitish or bluish spaces (on the skin, not the scales) between the 



dark dorsal spots; no red color (See note at end of Chapter.) 87. 

 With reddish spaces between the dark dorsal spots 88. 



87. Dorsal and lateral stripes narrow and irregular, and bluish'green in col- 



or; Puget Sound area. Wash. 



Thamnophis sirtaUs pic\eringii (B. 6? G.) Puget Sound Garter 

 Snake 

 Dorsal and lateral stripes broad and regular, and orangcyellow in color; 

 Minn, southward and eastward 



Thamnophis sirtalis sirtaUs (Linn.) Eastern Garter Snake 



403 



