34 BULLETIN 114, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



1909. Lampropeltis getula holhrooTcii Strecker, Baylor Univ. Bull., vol. 12, no. 



1, 1909, p. 7 (Burnet, Texas). 

 1912. Ophibolus getulus, var. sayi Somes, Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., 1912, p. 150. 



As Stejneger has already pointed out (1902, 152), the name Coro- 

 nella sayi was originally used for this form by Holbrook under the 

 misapprehension that it was the species previously described by 

 Schlegel as Coluber sayi. As the latter is a very different snake, 

 PituopJiis sayi, the name sayi can not be applied to this form. 



Description. — Holhroolci is nearly as well known as its represent- 

 ative on the Atlantic Coast. The scutellation as derived from about 

 132 specimens, is as follows: Ventral plates, 200 to 220; caudals, 38 

 to 55 (one specimen, 30); supralabials, 7, rarely 6 or 8; infralabials, 

 9, rarely 8 or 10; oculars, 1 and 2; temporals, 2+3+4, occasionally 

 varying by one in any row; posterior chin shields usually a little 

 shorter and a little narrower than the anterior, parallel, and generally 

 separated by one or two small scales; loreal usually as high as long 

 or higher than long, although sometimes longer than high; dorsal 

 scale rows commonly 21-19 or 19-21-19, occasionally as high as 

 21-23-21-19, and often as low as 19-21-19-17, very rarely 19-17. 



The general proportions are the same as with splendida and getulus, 

 that is, head but slightly distinct from neck, belly meeting the sides 

 in a rounded angle; body cylindrical and of nearly the same diameter 

 except for tapering a little toward the neck and toward the tail, 

 latter short, tapering quickly to a horny tip, varying from 0.096 to 

 0.150 of the total length, the average for males 0.130, for females 

 0.120. The great majority of adult specimens measure between 75 

 and 95 cm.; the largest examined was from Galveston, Texas, and 

 measured 1,634 mm. 



The general color above is blue-black with an oval white or yellow 

 or greenish-yellow spot near the center of each scale. At regular 

 intervals the white centers lose their normal orientation with the long 

 axes of the scales and become so grouped and oriented as to form 

 from 50 to 100 distinct, short, transverse bands on the back, which 

 are commonly less than half a scale in width and usually form a 

 dotted rather than continuous white band. Ventrally the white 

 centers increase in size so that the scales of the first row may be 

 described as white with black borders. The belly is checked with 

 black and white, the white usually predominating. The head like 

 the body is spotted with white. Transverse bars of white cross the 

 internasals, prefrontals, and supraoculars. There is a light spot on 

 each of the loreals, nasals, oculars, and temporals. The common 

 borders of the labials are black. 



The copulatory organ may be described as follows: Bilobed or 

 slightly forked; sulcus single, extending over the side of the larger 

 lobe; calyces fairly numerous, apical, surrounding a small bare place 



