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Lampropeltis getula

(Linnaeus, 1766)

Eastern Kingsnake

G5Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.894223
Element CodeARADB19020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusLampropeltis
Synonyms
Lampropeltis getulus
Other Common Names
eastern kingsnake (EN)
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Krysko et al. (2017) used mtDNA and nDNA and inferred three monophyletic groups that generally corresponded to the geographic regions Florida Peninsula, Atlantic Coast, and Eastern Apalachicola Lowlands which contained previously recognized subspecies L. g. floridana, L. g. getula, and L. g. meansi. The authors considered the members of the clades as morphologically diagnosable and elevated them to species. Krysko et al. also recognized L. nigrita from Mexico and southeastern Arizona (Crother 2017).

The specific name formerly was getulus (see Frost and Collins 1988).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2016-04-08
Change Date1996-10-30
Edition Date2016-04-08
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Rank Reasons
Widely distributed in southeastern United States; many occurrences and locations in a broad range of habitats; presumed large population size; no major threats.
Range Extent Comments
Range extends from eastern West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and southern New Jersey southward through the southeastern United States to southern Alabama.
Occurrences Comments
The number of distinct occurrences has not been determined using consistent criteria, but this species is represented by a very large number of collection sites and locations (as defined by IUCN); for example, see Palmer and Braswell 1995).
Threat Impact Comments
This snake is popular in the pet trade, and locally collection may reduce some populations. Some habitat has been lost/degraded as a result of intensive urbanization and agricultural development. Overall, the threat level is low.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This primarily terrestrial species occurs in a wide range of habitats, often in or near wooded areas, commonly in the vicinity of water bodies and wetlands. Periods of inactivity are spent in crevices or burrows, or under rocks, logs, stumps, vegetation, or other cover.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldSand/duneBare rock/talus/screeCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaS5Yes
South CarolinaS4Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
MarylandS4Yes
FloridaS1Yes
DelawareS2Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
WyomingSNANo
VirginiaS5Yes
New JerseyS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Extreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useRestricted - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (6)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big MountainChattahoochee National Forest1,974
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big MountainSumter National Forest2,337
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little AlleghanyGeorge Washington National Forest10,215
References (18)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1981. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part One: The Snakes. Windward Publishing Company, Miami, Florida. 176 pp.
  2. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  3. Blaney, R. M. 1977. Systematics of the common kingsnake, <i>Lampropeltis getulus</i> (Linnaeus). Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 19 (3 & 4):47-103.
  4. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  5. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  6. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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]
  10. Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Queiroz, D. R. Frost, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., T. W. Taggart, S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2000 [2001]. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circular No. 29. 82 pp.
  11. Frost, D. R., and J. T. Collins. 1988. Nomenclatural notes on reptiles of the United States. Herpetological Review 19(4):73-74.
  12. Green, N. B., and T. K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. xi + 241 pp.
  13. Krysko, K. L. 2002. Seasonal activity of the Florida kingsnake <i>Lampropeltis getula floridana</i> (Serpentes: Colubridae) in southern Florida. American Midland Naturalist 148:102-114.
  14. Krysko, K.L., L.P. Nuñez, C.E.Newman, and B.W. Bowen. 2017. Phylogenetics of Kingsnakes, <i>Lampropeltis getula</i> complex (Serpentes: Colubridae), in Eastern North America. Journal of Heredity:1-13.
  15. Means, D. B., and K. L. Krysko. 2001. Biogeography and pattern variation of kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula, in the Apalachicola region of Florida. Contemporary Herpetology 2001(5).
  16. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  17. Palmer, W. M., and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  18. Pyron, R. A, and F. T. Burbrink. 2009. Systematics of the Common Kingsnake (<i>Lampropeltis getula</i>; Serpentes: Colubridae) and the burden of heritage in taxonomy. Zootaxa 2241:22-32.