34. LAMPROPELTIS 



Distribution. — The California Milk Snake has been 

 found in San Diego (Carlsbad, Campo, Point Loma, San 

 Dieguito Valley, Poway, Orcutt, Santa Ysabel, La Mesa, 

 Cuyamaca, Witch Creek, Dulzura, Julian), Riverside (San 

 Jacinto), San Bernardino (Waterman Canyon, San Bernar- 

 dino Mountains), Los Angeles, and Fresno (Fresno, Jame- 

 son, Firebaugh), counties, California, and at San Ysidra 

 Ranch northern Lower California. 



173. Lampropeltis nitida Van Denburgh 

 Lower California Milk. Snake 



Ophibolus California Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 32, 1887, p. 79. 

 Lampropeltis nitida Van Denburgh, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Ser. 2, Vol. V, 



1895, p. 143, pi. XIV (type locality, San Jose del Cabo, Lower 



California, Mexico); Stejneger & Barbour, Check List N. 



Amer. Amph. Rept., 1917, p. 88; Van Denburgh & Slevin, Proc. 



Cal. Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, Vol. XI, 1911, pp. 52, 68; Nelson, Mem. 



Nat. Acad Sci., Vol. XVI, 1921, pp. 114, 115. 

 Lampropeltis California nitida Blanchard, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. 



Univ. Michigan, No. 87, 1920, pp. 3, -; Blanchard, Bull. U. S. 



Nat. Mus., No. 114, 1921, p. 103. 



Description. — Head little distinct from neck, consider- 

 ably depressed, with broadly rounded snout. Rostral plate 

 large, hollowed below, and bounded behind by internasal, 

 anterior nasal, and first labial plates. Plates on top of head 

 are a pair of internasals, a pair of prefrontals, a rather short 

 frontal, supraocular of each side, and a pair of large parie- 

 tals. Anterior and posterior nasals distinct. A small loreal. 

 One preocular. Two postoculars. Temporals normally 

 two followed by three. Seven superior labials, third and 

 fourth reaching eye. Nine or 10 inferior labials, fifth 

 largest, first pair meeting on median line. Genials in two 

 pairs, anterior very much larger than posterior. Scales 

 smooth, thin, imbricate, in 23 rows. Anal plate not divided. 

 Gastrosteges 227. Urosteges in two series, 56 in number. 



