Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I will most likely open up a whole can of worms with this...
but the info on the net and the field guides is not helpful.

Eastern kings, brooks kings, and FL kings.

Okay..Eastern kings also known as the chain king is the largest of all kings...K I got that. Brooks kings are FL kings but due to local have different markings (or not?). Now, I here people talking that brooks kings need to have lots of yellow or burnt yellow coloration....and the "brown" brooks kings are not real brooks kings or are they just not "pretty".

Now…about my brooks king. She is about a year old and hypomelstic….at least she was until her last shed (I have owned her since she was 3 mts old). Before her last shed…she was nearly all yellow and white…after her last shed she is still yellow and white but she now has many black tipped scales. They are really black tipped scales and not some kind of blood sucker. So…how can this happen? My books and websights are not helpful.

It seems like it's just a matter of opinion or people using different words for the smae thing. Here's my take on it.

A florida king is simply a kingsnake from florida. In the northeast you've got some Easterns (getulus). South of that used to be split into two subspecies: floridana and brooksi. brooksi referred to the southern part of the range and these are much lighter snakes and have more yellow. Apparently the powers that be decided that brooksi didn't deserve subspecies status and lumped them into floridana. Meanwhile a lot of the floridana in the northern part was deemed to be integrades with getulus. Personally I agree. Nowadays, the term brooksi can mean two different things. The most correct use refers to a specific locality. But it is also widely used to describe any floridana that is exceptionally light colored and/or yellow.

To the west there is another species of "florida king". The blotched king (goini) is still given it's own subspecies. I'm not so sure I agree with that. I don't really understand what information "they" are going on. The common kingsnake has a continuous range across north america so most of the subspecies could be classified as an integrade.

This is just my opinion. If you disagree please let me know so that I may possibly be corrected.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

I asgree for the most part except "Goini" has actually been regulated to a non - subspecies for awhile now. In recent studies certain Kings from the Panhandle will be given sub-specific status . The name wont be Goini. The animals that are patternless , striped and high oval blotch I believe will be considered the "new Sub". Most goini out there now are intergrades between Eastern Kings and this newely descibed sub.
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Man, what are you doing with a gun in space? - Charles "Chick" Chapple

Thanks Keith. I didn't know that.
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Martin Whalin

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld
My Email