Thayers kings and Durango Mtn kings are thought by some to be separate subspecies of Lampropeltis mexicana. The third subspecies being the Mexican king or San Luis Potosi king refered to as mexmex. However, you will often see the subspecies designation in quotes and the animals considered as variants, not true subspecies. Some see them more as the same snake with no subspeciation, but only geographical/color variability.

I have kept all three, and they are very similar in shape/size and habits. However, "pure" mexmex, thayeri, and durangos have very distinct and unique patterns and colors to themselves that make them each distinct and desirable. However, I am sure much breeding between the variants has been/is being done, and many are concerned they are no more "pure" thayeri, mexmex, or durangos these days. Only mixed bred animals that look like the original forms did, or enhanced through selective breeding to bring out the best traits of the original form (ie, brighter red blotches in mexmex and durangos, more orange groundcolor in thayeri).

Hope this helps more than confuse.

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