Home/Species/ Prairie Kingsnake

Lampropeltis calligaster

(Harlan, 1827)

Prairie Kingsnake

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106075

Element CodeARADB19011

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassReptilia

OrderSquamata

FamilyColubridae

GenusLampropeltis

Synonyms

Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster(Harlan, 1827)

Other Common Names

prairie kingsnake (EN)

Concept Reference

Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

McKelvy and Burbrink (2017), using multilocus sequence data, found L. rhombomaculata and L. occipitolineata distinct from L. calligaster.

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-10-31

Change Date1996-10-31

Range Extent Comments

This species is composed of all populations west of the Mississippi River in the plains states and crosses the Mississippi River embayment east to Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, favoring prairie and pastureland habitat (McKelvy and Burbrink 2017).

Ecology & Habitat

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Kentucky	S5	Yes
Oklahoma	SNR	Yes
Nebraska	S2	Yes
Alabama	S1	Yes
Arkansas	S5	Yes
Indiana	S4	Yes
Illinois	S5	Yes
Tennessee	S5	Yes
Kansas	S5	Yes
Louisiana	S4	Yes
Mississippi	S3	Yes
Texas	S4	Yes
Missouri	S5	Yes
Iowa	S3	Yes

Roadless Areas (1)

Louisiana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Saline Bayou W & S River Corridor	Kisatchie National Forest	5,355

References (5)

Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
McKelvy, A. D., and F. T. Burbrink. Ecological divergence in the yellow-bellied kingsnake (<i>Lampropeltis calligaster</i>) at two North American biodiversity hotspots. 2017. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 106:61-72.