REVISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 



55 



23); Milford, Connecticut (Linsley; 1843, 43); Nashville and Alapaha, 

 Berrien County, Georgia (Wright, 1915, 140). 



Variation. — The averages for the ventral plates show distinct 

 differences with latitude. Thus the diagram (fig. 11) shows that 

 there is a progressive decrease in number of ventrals northward from 

 Georgia and an increase southward into Florida. The former is 

 much more gradual than the latter and is accompanied with other 

 gradual changes, which make a slight but not very distinctive differ- 

 ence in the appearance of the specimens from widely separated parts 

 of the range. The change into southern Florida is much less gradual 

 and is accompanied by other marked changes, particularly of pattern, 



Ventral 

 plates. 



222 



220 



218 



216 



214 



212 



210 



208 



200 



204 



202 



Southeastern Northern Eastern Southeastern D. C. and New 



Georgia. Florida. North Carolina. Virginia. vicinity. Jersey. 



Localities. Eastern S. C. 



Fig. 11.— Diagram showing geogkafhic variation in number of ventral plates in Lampropeltis 



GETULUS GETULUS. 



sufficient altogether to make necessary the recognition of a distinct 

 subspecies there (as jioridana) . 



The averages of the numbers of caudal plates are based upon too few 

 specimens to be of much value, but, such as they are, they support 

 the figures for the ventrals, that is, there is a slight decrease in number 

 northward, and increase southward. The same is true of the in- 

 fralabials. The higher numbers are more frequent in the south, 

 the lower in the north. Specimens from northern Florida show 

 about 15 per cent of increase to 10 infralabials; m fioridana this is 

 increased to about 30 per cent; north from Florida 10 is of less com- 

 mon occurrence, and the number is not infrequently reduced to 8. 



The dorsal scale rows vary between the rather widely separated 

 formulae of 23-21 and 19-21-19-17. The extremes are uncommon, 





































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