REVISION OF THE KING SNAKES. 



OpJiibolus by Baird and Girard (1853, 82), belongs to the family 

 Colubridae. It was separated in 1860 by Cope (254) from the 

 Ooronella of the Old World on the presence of the entire instead of 

 divided anal plate, and in 1862 (302) the same author noted the 

 further difference of two scale pits instead of one. 



The genus may be diagnosed as follows: Maxillary teeth, 12 to 20, 

 solid, slightly increasing or slightly decreasing in size posteriorly, 

 subequal, or the last two a little enlarged; mandibular teeth decreasing 

 in size posteriorly; head not or but slightly distinct from neck; eye 

 moderate, with round pupil; scales 

 smooth, with two apical pits, in 17 to 

 27 rows; anal plate entire; tail mod- 

 erate, caudals in two rows. 



The cephalic plates are normal (fig. 

 1), consisting of paired parietals, pre- 

 frontals, internasals, and single fron- 

 tal; the nostril lies between two na- 

 sals; the loreal is normally present 

 (commonly absent only in ela'psoides 

 and virginiana); there is normally 

 one preocular, and two postoculars; 

 the temporals are normally two in 

 the first row, three in the second, and 

 four in the third (except ela'psoides, 

 virginiana y and microfholis in which 

 there is usually one less in each row, 

 and alterna in which there is one 

 more in each row) ; the upper labials 

 are normally seven, varying fre- 

 quently to eight only in floridana, 

 pyrrhomelaena, and calligaster; the 

 lower labials are normally nine, the 

 fifth largest, being commonly eight 

 only in elapsoides, virginiana, and 

 rJiomhomaculata, and commonly ten 

 only in conjuncta, pyrrhomelaena, and calligaster. The first lower 

 labials meet on the median line behind the triangular mental plate at 

 the symphysis of the lower jaw, and are succeeded by two pairs of 

 parallel chin shields, the posterior of which are not often longer than 

 the anterior and may be only half as long and separated by one or 

 two small scales. 



On the body there are from 17 to 27 longitudinal rows of dorsal 

 scales wider on the lower row or two and narrower above, all perfectly 

 smooth, and each provided with two pits near the posterior extremity. 

 On the abdomen is a single series of large transverse plates, the ven- 



FlG. 1.— Lampropeltis getulus splendida 

 (U.S.N.M. NO, 1849). IJ X NAT. SIZE. Show- 

 ing NORMAL ARRANGEMENT OF HEAD PLATES 

 FROM ABOVE. /, FRONTAL; i na, INTERNASAL; 



I, loreal; na, nasal; pa, parietal; pf, pre- 

 frontal; po, postocular; pr, preocular; r, 

 rostral; P-j i?, t^, temporals of the first, 



SECOND, AND THIRD ROWS, RESPECTIVELY; ul, 

 UPPER LABIALS. 



