Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have actually posted this topic several times over the last year or so with less than ideal results, but for those who have not already tried to assist in the ID of this snake I will give a little back story..

a couple years ago I received a message from my step mother that there were a couple of reptiles needing a home and I am the go to guy in the family, I agreed to take them on and due to harsh weather it was weeks before I heard anything else, but then they were on the way, and upon answering the door I was met by a police officer who had driven over 200 miles to bring me a large iguana and this tricolor snake... I have no history on where it was bought, bred, or caught. no idea what it is other than a healthy snake that does not refuse meals... I have so far been able to narrow the ID's down to MSP variable king, Ruthven's king, Mexican Milk or a hybrid... the photos I used the last time had people telling me it was a pueblan so this time I got out the pueblan for a side by side photo (which neither was happy about) here are several photos of my mystery lampropeltis


and now with a pueblan milk for comparison

It is definitely not any kind of Milksnake, nor is it a mexicana type kingsnake (thayeri). It is one of the Mountain Kingsnakes (zonata, pyromelana or ruthveni).

My guesstimate is that it is a Queretaro King (ruthveni).
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Ruthven's was one of my high possibilities, I read there was a small bright colored form and a larger dark colored, bit could never find photos of the larger to compare to... but thanks for replying

Most definitely not a Pueblan milk, or any subspecies of milksnake for that matter. It looks to be a very chunky Ruthven's kingsnake in my opinion.

Your Pueblan milk there is a nice example of textbook L.t.campbelli.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks Doug, seeing your photo of the larger darker Ruthven's puts this mystery to bed... the only photos I could find of the species were of the smaller brighter form... now I'm certain.

Yes, there are three different locale bloodlines in the hobby that are all a bit different.....Amealco, Tapalpa, and Jalpan, Mexico.

Here is a Jalpan ruthveni. Note the way the light inner rings flair out at the base just as yours does. Yours is cleaner than most of this particular locale, so it could possibly be a combination of two ruthveni locale bloodlines, The Jalpan and Tapalpa...hard to say with absolute certainty.

Here is an F-5 geration Tapalpa ruthveni my good friend works with. He also works with all the other types as well. The Amealco is the striped and amel phenotypes seen in the hobby.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Here is a 1996 Jalpan locale male L.ruthveni that depicts where I was mentioning the more flaired at the base inner light triad rings compared to the other two locales. Also the light labials of the lower jaw as yours has as well. These are two other characteristic of the Jalpans.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com