Below is a simplified version of Utiger et al.'s weighted MP tree (fig. 3). It illustrates the fact that New World Elaphe and the Lampropeltini is very much nested within Old World Elaphe. Elaphe is not polyphyletic. It is however, paraphyletic. Removing the Lampropeltine snakes from Elaphe is similar to removing birds from Reptilia. The cladists do not like it, but it is perfectly acceptable to the Darwinians or traditionalists to accept a paraphyletic Reptilia (minus the birds and mammals) and a paraphyletic Elaphe (minus Lampropeltis, Arizona, Pituophis among others). There are two courses of action available to the cladists: dumping species classified in Pituophhis, Arizona and Lampropeltis et al. back into Elaphe, or splintering Elaphe into many different genera that are not morphologically distinguishable from one another. The Darwinians have a better alternative not available to the cladists: Keep Elaphe paraphyletic and recognize Pituophis, Lampropeltis, Arizona et al.

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