24 BULLETIN 17 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



d. Distinct spots on at least the posterior half of dorsum. 



d^. Pied black and white with anterior spots distinct (New Jersey to eastern 

 Tennessee and South Carolina) 



melanoleucus raelanoleucus (p. 51) 

 d^. Pied brown and white. 



e'. Dorsum pied rusty brown and white; spots less than 40 when dis- 

 tinguishable; anterior spots indistinct or lacking; posterior spots 

 often red (Florida to southern Georgia) 



melanoleucus mugitus (p. 66) 

 e^. Dorsum brown with chocolate-brown spots numbering more than 40; 

 anterior spots more or less distinct; posterior spots never red (Long- 

 leaf, La.) raelanoleucus ruthveni (p. 74) 



c'. Spots entirely lacking except in young; uniformly black above, slate-gray 



below (Mobile County, Ala.) melanoleucus lodingi (p. 79) 



fc*. Rostral less than twice as long as broad; dorsum always with more than 40 

 distinct dark spots, never black and white with less than 40 spots, nor 

 brown and white with anterior spots indistinct, nor uniformly black; 

 frequently more than 1 preocular; azygos often present between frontal 

 and prefrontals, 

 c'. Rostral longer than broad; sum of ventrals and caudals added to number 

 of dorsal spots on body and tail rarely exceeding 360. 

 d^. Rostral nearly twice as long as broad; posterior spots not reddish; spots 

 generally quadrangular or bar-shaped (northern Mexico north to 

 southern Alberta, west to the Rocky Mountains, and east to Wis- 

 consin, Illinois, Indiana, and the Mississippi River) _sayi sayi (p. 91) 

 d^. Rostral only slightly longer than broad; anterior spots often distinctly 

 reddish or red-brown; spots often shghtly saddle-shaped (northern 

 Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado) 



sayi afflnis (p. 123) 

 c^. Rostral rarely longer than broad; sum of ventrals and caudals added to 

 number of dorsal spots on body and tail rarely less than 360. 

 d'. Anterior dorsal spots black or reddish, central spots reddish, and pos- 

 terior spots black; spots usually saddle-shaped and tending to fuse at 

 the sides; anterior spots generally each 5 or more scales in length; 

 ventrals 236-262 (Lower California north to San Bernardino County, 



Calif.) vertebralis (p. 82) 



d". Spots uniformly brown or black throughout series, ovoid or quadrangu- 

 lar in shape; each spot rarely more and usually less than 4 scales in 

 length, 

 e*. Dorsal spots less than 90, or sum of ventrals and caudals less than 300, 

 or tail length divided by total length less than 0.135; anterior dorsal 

 spots not or only slightly fusing with smaller alternating lateral 

 spots and never fusing with one another. 

 /'. Ventrals generally less than 228 (average 220); when scale rows 

 are less than 31, ventrals are less than 215: light-colored scales 

 usually lacking each a central black spot (California south to 

 San Diego County, the western parts of Oregon and Washing- 

 ton, to southern British Columbia) ..catenifer catenifer (p. 140) 

 p. Ventrals generally more than 228 (average 236); when scale rows 

 are less than 31, ventrals are more than 215; light-colored scales 

 generally each with a central black spot, at least on the anterior 

 part of the body (eastern desert regions of southern California, 

 Nevada, Utah, and Idaho and the eastern parts of Oregon and 

 Washington) c atenif er deser tic ola (p . 166) 



