San Francisco State University

Department of Geography
Geography 316:  Biogeography   December 7, 2000

The Biogeography of
Saint Helena Mountain Kingsnake
            (Lampropeltis zonata zonata)

by Loren Valentini, student in Geography 316, Fall 2000


Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum: Chordata
  Class: Reptilia
    Order: Squamata
       Family: Colubridae
Genus: Lampropeltis
Species: Lampropeltis zonata
subspecies: Lampropeltis z. zonata

Picture of Saint Helena Mountain Kingsnake
(Ingrasci 1998, Photo by Rick Staub)
 

Description of Species:
The Saint Helena Mountain Kingsnake is a proportionately slender snake; an adult can attain a length of thirty to thirty-six inches (Markel 1995).  This particular subspecies of Lampropeltis zonata is both uncommon and secretive (Markel 1995).  Its color pattern varies by its geographic and ecologic range (Zweifel 1952).  Sixty per cent or more of body triads (a "triad" is a set of black rings between which red may or may not be present; the red may be a complete ring or consist merely of a few ventrolateral scales (Markel 1995)).with lateral red areas dorsally confluent, splitting triads; snout dark, without red markings; first white ring complete and situated on head behind eyes behind angle of mouth; black of triads usually more than one scale wide laterally (Stebbins 1954).
 
 
 
 
 

( Picture of Lampropeltis z. zonata triad.


Coborn 1994)

Habitat:
The California mountain kingsnake inhabits many different habitats.  They can be found from some of the highest peaks to below sea level, however Markel (1995) states that there are no truly aquatic species.  The California mountain kingsnake can also be found in arid savannas, deserts, mountains, prairies, marshlands, forest, and rainforests, as explained by Markel (1995).  A secretive snake restricted to granite rock outcroppings and riparian canyon bottoms (Lynum 1997).

Distribution:
In many parts of its range it inhabits primarily the Transition Life-zone, occurring in forests of yellow pine and incense cedar (Stebbins 1954).Of the seven subspecies of California mountain kingsnake, five occur in the three Pacific Coast states and two are restricted in

 

Map of Distribution:

(Markel 1995)

distribution to Mexico’s Baja peninsula (Markel 1995).  Those United States specimens occur in disjuct populations in several mountain ranges from the Sierra Nevada westward (Markel 1995).Lampropeltis zonata can generally be considered a species of higher altitudes, some specimens have been found at elevations of nearly 9,000 feet as told by Markel (1995). As for the Saint Helena mountain kingsnake (L. z. zonata) it is located in the mountains of the North Coast Range.It is found principally in both the coastal and interior mountains of California (Shaw 1974).Its range extends from Sonoma and Napa counties to Lake and Mendocino counties.  This is a moist woods snake, which can be found in high altitudes as stated before.  It can also be found on and near Mount Saint Helena; this snake is associated with volcanic rock and closed-cone pine forest (Lynum 1997).


Natural History:
The genus Lampropeltis, which is comprised solely of kingsnakes and milksnakes has been very well studied and documented since it was first described in the 1600s (Markel 1995).  As stated by Trutnau (1991) Lampropletis zonata is divided into seven subspecies, which, according to information in Markel (1995) can be told apart based on the following characters:  1.  The posterior margin of the first white ring on the head lies behind the angle of the mouth.  Fewer than 60 percent of the black rings are completely split and, on the back, they fade to a red… Lampropletis zonata multicincta.  2. The posterior margin of the first white ring on the head is situated behind the angle of the mouth.  Sixty percent and more of the black rings on the back are completely split by the red.  The tip of the snout is black.   The black pigmentation that borders the red on the flanks is usually more than one scale wide…Lampropeltis zonata zonata.  3.  The posterior margin of the first white ring on the head is behind or in front of the angle of the mouth.  Sixty percent or more of the black rings are completely split by the red color…Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata.  4.  The posterior margin of the first white ring is situated on or in front of the last upper lip shield.  The snout is black.  There are 37 triads or more (at least 35) … Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra.  5.  The torso shows 38 triads or fewer.  All other characters are the same as those in Lampropeltis zonata parvirubra… Lampropeltis zonata pulchra.  6. The torso has more than 40 triads … Lampropeltis zonata agalmae.  7.  The entire body is without red coloration, being banded exclusively in black and white … Lampropeltis zonata herrerae.

The California mountain kingsnake hunts a wide variety of prey—small mammals, young birds, lizards, and other snakes (Shaw 1974).  The California mountain kingsnake nest in a varitey of places, in and around fallen logs, and they also burrow underneath pines needles and forest litter.  A normal lifespan for a snake in the wild can be a very hard thing to determine, since there are so many variables that can be taken into account.  Documented life span for captive bred kingsnakes have exceed twenty years (Markel 1995).

The mating of Mountain kingsnakes takes place after the winter brumation (hibernation) period and mate in the spring.  From a few days to a few weeks post-brumation, the snakes will enter a shed cycle; it is at this time when most pheromones are produced and ovulation begins (Markel 1995).  The male California mountain kingsnake will trail the female and attempt to position and breed her.  The male may actually grasp her head in his mouth while copulation is occurring.
 

Evolution:
Snakes originated about 130 - 140 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.  Most evidence indicates that they arose from lizards through an evolutionary stage that involved burrowing (Ernst 1996). They have survived through the Paleocene period to the present with minimal changes. Snakes live in all but the very coldest areas of the world (Markel 1995).
There are three major groups of snakes: Henophidia, a group that encompasses primitive snakes, such as boas, pythons, and pipe snakes; Scolecophidia, containing the many families of blind snakes; and Caenophidia, the members of which are often referred to as advanced snakes.  Within this last family we find the majority of the extant snakes, ranging from harmless water and kingsnakes to the potentially deadly cobras, sea snakes, and vipers (Markel 1995).  The California mountain kingsnake is a part of the Colubridae genus, which was one of the latestgroups of snakes to evolve from the Caenophidians.  The Colubridae genus contains more than seventy-five snakegenera and four hundred snake species.
 

(Ernst 1996)

Other interesting issues:
Kingsnakes are considered the "kings of the forest" similar to lion's being called "the kings of the jungle".   Kingsnakes are known to be one of the very few predators of the rattlesnake.  Another interesting fact about the Kingsnake is that it is as called the pseudo coral snake.  Coral snakes are venomous, and some believe that the  kingsnake might have evolved to mimic the coloration of the coral snake.  However,  the coloration of the coral snake is not that much different to that of the kingsnake.  The best way to identify a coral snake from a kingsnake is by this little saying "red to yellow, kill a fellow, red to black, venom lack"; or easier yet, merely think about the two caution colors of a traffic signal-the red and the yellow lenses are next to each other (Markel 1995).  The coral snake has the two caution colors, the red and the yellow, abutting one another (Markel 1995).
 
 

Bibliography:
Coborn, John. 1994.  The Mini – Atlas of Snakes of The World. United States. T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Ernst, Carl H. and George R. Zug. 1996. Snakes in question: the Smithsonian answer book. United States. The Smithsonian Institution.

Goin, Coleman J., Olive B. Goin and George R. Zug. 1962. Introduction to Herpetology. San Francisco, CA W. H. Freeman and Company.

Ingrasci, Matthew J. 1998. “The Mountain Kingsnake Enthusiast's Site”; [Online]. Available: http://www.kingsnake.com/mtnking/index2.html

Lynum, Paul. 1997.“Saint Helena Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata zonata”; [Online]. Available: http://www.kingsnake.com/king/zonata/zzonata.html

Markel, Ronald G. and R. D. Bartlett. 1995.  Kingsnakes and Milksnakes.  New York.  Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Shaw, Charles E. and Sheldon Campbell. 1974. Snakes Of The American West. United States. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc

Stebbins, Robert C. 1954. Amphibians and Reptiles of Western North America. New York. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.

Trutnau, Ludwig.  1991. “Breeding the California Mountain Kingsnake.” Tropical Fish Hobbyist: 122 – 128.

Zweifel, Richard G. 1952. “Pattern Variation and Evolution of the Mountain Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata.” Copeia No. 3: 152 – 168.
 
 

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