REVISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 



a brown or gray in the adult. In altema (fig. 78) the pattern is of 

 two kinds of transverse bands in" alternation on a uniform brown 

 ground color, one plain black, the other split or mixed with red. 

 In mexicana (fig. 77) the pattern is of dorsal blotches of red, but the 

 shape, scutellation, and pattern of the head forbid its association 

 with any of the other groups. 



The penial characters are as follows (fig. 2), (terms as used by Cope, 

 1894, 831): Organ rounded, bilobed, or forked at end; sulcus sper- 

 maticus single; calyces, continuous across the end of the organ or 

 leaving there a small bare space, apical, few, with short processes 

 (fringes) which may be few — 5 or 6 to 10, 

 or numerous — 15 to 20; the latter passing 

 into spines which increase in size gradu- 

 ally toward the base; no spines distinc- 

 tively enlarged or separated from their 

 fellows; basal portion of organ, below 

 the large spines, smooth or with numer- 

 ous minute spines. 



The dentition may be summarized as 

 follows: Maxillary teeth, 12 to 20, sub- 

 equal, the last two sometimes a little 

 stouter and longer than the preceding, 

 not separated from the latter by an inter- 

 space; mandibular teeth, 12 to 18, de- 

 creasing in size posteriorly; palatines, 8 

 to 14, subequal; pterygoids, 12 to 23, 

 a little smaller than the palatines, and 

 decreasing gradually in size posteriorly. 



Range. — The genus Lampropeltis is 

 represented throughout North America, 

 south of the forty-sixth parallel east of 

 the Roclcy Mountains and the forty-third 



west, including Florida, Yucatan, and Lower California, and extends 

 into South America west of the Andes Mountains as far as southern 

 Ecuador. 



Habitat and habits. — ^As will appear from the descriptions of the 

 various forms, surprisingly little is known of the life histories of 

 these snakes. It is hoped that the scarcity of information on this 

 subject will prompt those who have the opportunity, to make accurate 

 observations and report them. 



There is great diversity in choice of habitat among the various 

 forms. Some belong in the deserts (yumensis, splendida), some in 

 the mountains and canyons of the- west (multidncta, pyrrhomelaena, 

 and perhaps gentilis), some on the prairies (calligaster, holbrooki), 

 one (triangulum) has become adapted to the deciduous forest region 



Fig. 2.— Everted penis of Lampro- 

 peltis CALLIGASTER. (U.S.N.M. NO. 



61726). About 2J x nat. size, ca, 

 calyx; /r, lobe of fringe; Zi, larger 

 lobe; Is, large shnes; ms, minute 



spines; si, SMALLER LOBE; sp, SULCUS 



spermaticus. 



