NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Scarlet Kingsnake
Lampropeltis elapsoides (Holbrook, 1838)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States. Like all kingsnakes, they are nonvenomous. They are found in pine flatwoods, hydric hammocks, pine savannas, mesic pine-oak forests, prairies, cultivated fields, and a variety of suburban habitats; not unusually, people find scarlet kingsnakes in their swimming pools, especially during the spring.
Until recently, and for much of the 20th century, scarlet kingsnakes were considered a subspecies of the milk snake; however, Pyron and Bubrink demonstrated the phylogenetic distinction of this species and its closer relationship to the mountain kingsnakes of the southwestern United States.
These largely fossorial snakes are the smallest of all the species within the genus Lampropeltis, usually ranging from 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) at maturity. The maximum recorded length is in Jonesboro, AR 76.2 cm (30.0 in). Hatchlings range in size from 8 to 18 cm (3.1 to 7.1 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Scarlet kingsnake; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:38:01.565612+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lampropeltis elapsoides (Holbrook, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Holbrook, 1838)
- Common name
- Scarlet Kingsnake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Lampropeltis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- subfamilyColubrinae
- genusLampropeltis
- speciesLampropeltis elapsoides (Holbrook, 1838)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lampropeltis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Honduran milk snakeLampropeltis abnorma (Bocourt, 1886) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Grey-banded KingsnakeLampropeltis alterna (Brown, 1901) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black Desert Kingsnake [nigrita]Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville, 1835) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Prairie KingsnakeLampropeltis calligaster (Harlan, 1827) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Short-tailed SnakeLampropeltis extenuata (Brown, 1890) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common KingsnakeLampropeltis getula (Linnaeus, 1766) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black KingsnakeLampropeltis nigra (Yarrow, 1882) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atlantic Central American MilksnakeLampropeltis polyzona Cope, 1860 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arizona Mountain KingsnakeLampropeltis pyromelana (Cope, 1866) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Desert KingsnakeLampropeltis splendida (Baird & Girard, 1853) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern MilksnakeLampropeltis triangulum (Lacépède, 1789) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican MilksnakeLampropeltis annulata Kennicott, 1860 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lampropeltis triangulum virginiana Blanchard, 1920 Blanchard, 1920 | synonym |
| Ophibolus doliatus temporalis Cope, 1893 Cope, 1893 | synonym |
| Coluber elapsoides Holbrook, 1838 Holbrook, 1838 | synonym |
| Coronella doliata Holbrook, 1842 Holbrook, 1842 | synonym |
| Coluber doliatus Linnaeus Linnaeus | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lampropeltis&species=elapsoides Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3S4VL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.