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What different varieties of florida kingsnakes are there. Are they at all related to the desert or speckled kingsnake?

First of all, all the "Florida" Kingsnakes are related to Speckled and Desert Kingsnakes in that they are all subspecies of the same species of snake (Lampropeltis getula). They are just different subspecies. The valid subspecies of this snake are (names in parentheses are ones there is some controversy about) -

1. Eastern Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula getula
2. (Outer Banks Kingsake - Lampropeltis getula sticticeps)
3. Florida Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula floridana
4. (Apalachicola or Blotched Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula goini/meansi)
5. Eastern Black Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula nigra
6. Speckled Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula holbrooki
7. Desert Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula splendida
8. Black Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula nigrita
9. California Kingsnake - Lampropeltis getula californiae

In Florida, you find 3 taxa of kingsnakes, number 1, 3, and 4 on the above list. The eastern king occurs in northern florida, the Blotched/Apalachicola King occurs in a small area around the Apalachicola and Chipola Rivers in the panhandle, and the Florida Kingsnake occurs in far southern Florida. In most of the florida peninsula, Eastern Kings intergrade with Florida Kings.

But here is where the hobby makes things complicated. Hobbyists call Florida Kingsnakes by an old (incorrect) name - Brook's Kingsnake or South Florida Kingsnake (L. g. brooksi). In reality, those big yellow snakes in south FL are, and always were, the real Florida Kings (L.g. floridana).

The name "Florida King" in the hobby is actually used to identify intergrade Florida x Eastern Kingsnake from the northern and central parts of the FL peninsula.

Then there are morphs. Most of them are morphs of the south florida kingsnake (the real floridana). They include albino, hypo, lavender, sulphur, white and and then a few other names that people make up to try to get more money for their otherwise normal babies.

It is a complicated mess, IMHO. Most of the mess could actually be clarified if hobbyists would start using the correct taxonomy, but old habits die hard.

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Chris Harrison

Thanks. I had no idea it was so confusing.

That was an excellent post and one that should be referred to in the future.

But you might want to clarify what "normal" babies mean?:

Then there are morphs. Most of them are morphs of the south florida kingsnake (the real floridana). They include albino, hypo, lavender, sulphur, white and and then a few other names that people make up to try to get more money for their otherwise normal babies.

I disagree that the high yellow south Florida kings are the "true floridana" and that all the rest are intergrades. I think there is a lot of color variation among Floridana, with the more yellowish being one of them. You can still find darker specimens very far south in Florida, well beyond the range of any Easterns, that don't show any of the intergrade pattern. People who have hunted South Florida will tell you that you can find very yellow, as well as darker specimens, under the same board. IMHO, the yellowish colored Floridana are just a natural variation, not the only "true" Floridana.

Todd