Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Caught in the same area as the other two I have. Not the best pic but it shows you how speckled it is.

This is basically what I used to catch when I lived in Memphis, TN. The juveniles would look like the ones I have posted below but would end up like this as adults.

I'd say that one's definitely a speckled king, L. g. holbrooki. There are some faint indications of crossbanding, suggesting maybe a little bit of L. g. nigra, but that also could be vestiges of the crossbands that are more prevalent in young holbrookis. I think intergrades between the two can be found across much of north AL, northeast MS, and southern/western TN.

I'm in OK, where most specimens maintain slight blotching or crossbanding throughout adulthood, indicative of the prevailing intergrades here between speckled and desert kings. The one in your pic actually is more speckled than most of the ones I've seen around here.
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MichaelB

there is sort of a band down the Mississippi river where you find perfectly speckled kings. The kings around where I live (College Station, TX) usually have that sort of faint banding. If I drive down towards the coast, I can find "perfect" speckled kings with no banding at all.

Perfect speckled kings are the exception, not the rule. The crossbanding pattern is not necessarily indicative of intergradation.
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Chris Harrison

I second that. In the Houston area, where I grew up, they are very evenly speckled. When I ordered one in college from anaother state I was upset to see that not all speckled kings looked they way they looked in books and in the south east Texas region.

I have to say the nicest speckled kings I have found come from SE of Houston along the coast. They are abundant down there, are big, and have black coloration with a small yellow speck in each dark scale. They are virtually patternless.
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Chris Harrison

>>Caught in the same area as the other two I have. Not the best pic but it shows you how speckled it is.

Sean,
I hope you aren't taking this personal as I meant no offense when I said your snakes look like black kings. I was basing my opinion on the literature authored by Robert Mount. I considered him a reliable source but perhaps I should reconsider?

>>This is basically what I used to catch when I lived in Memphis, TN. The juveniles would look like the ones I have posted below but would end up like this as adults.

That is strange, because I've noticed that juveniles (mostly nigra) tend to be much more 'speckled' when young but lose their patterns and become darker as they grow. That would the exact opposite of your observations. Anyone else have notes to share?

Here is a photo of what I consider to be speckled king.

Here is a closer look:

And even closer:

As you can see, there tends to be a single yellow speck on almost every scale. That is what I consider a speckled king.

Thanks for looking.
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Dwight Good
http://www.kingsnake.com/obsoleta

Dwight
I have to say the snake pictured is the exact copy of the speckled kings I used to catch growing up in SE Missouri. A spot or splotch on each scale. Awesome snakes, and I intend on adding one of these to my collection as well. Among the other kings I want!! Either way, beautiful animals!
Brian

I think the yellow spot on each scale is what most people expect to see on Speckled Kings but like Chris H said, the juveniles have the bands and get more speckled as they age. And not all Speckled Kings have a light spot on each scale. I think most have light spots on most scales but that can vary. If it's due to intergradation with Black kings, I'd like to know. So if you or anyone else has more info on this, I would like to know. By the way, could you post some pics of adult Black Kings that you have found? I've seen quite a few that Phil Peak has posted and from what I remember, most of those had little to none yellow spots on them.

So all you humm goodly herbivulpurists can kiss my grits.