{{Short description|Species of snake found in the eastern US}} {{Speciesbox | image = Scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides).jpg | image_caption = Adult ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' in Florida | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |author=Hammerson, G.A. |year=2019 |title=''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' |article-number=e.T67662850A67662876 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T67662850A67662876.en |access-date=6 June 2022}}</ref> | genus = Lampropeltis | species = elapsoides | authority = ([[John Edwards Holbrook|Holbrook]], 1838) | range_map = Lampropeltis elapsoides distribution map.png | synonyms = *''Coluber elapsoides'' <small>Holbrook, 1838</small> * ''Osceola elapsoidea'' <small>— [[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 1900</small> * ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' <br /><small>— [[Leonhard Hess Stejneger|Stejneger]] & [[Thomas Barbour|Barbour]], 1917</small><ref>[[Leonhard Hess Stejneger|Stejneger, Leonhard]]; [[Thomas Barbour|Barbour, Thomas]]. 1917. ''A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (''Lampropeltis elapsoides'', p. 88).</ref> * ''Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides'' <small>— [[Roger Conant (herpetologist)|Conant]] & Collins, 1991</small> * ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' <br /><small>— Pyron & Burbrink, 2009</small><ref>The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.</ref> }}
The '''scarlet kingsnake''' ('''''Lampropeltis elapsoides''''') is a [[species]] of [[kingsnake]] found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Willson |first=J |date=2023-10-19 |title=Scarlet Kingsnake / Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum) |url=https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/lamtri.htm#:~:text=The%20scarlet%20king%20is%20found,Georgia%20and%20northwestern%20South%20Carolina. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817071342/https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/lamtri.htm |archive-date=2023-08-17}}</ref> Like all kingsnakes, they are [[venomous snake|nonvenomous]]. They are found in pine flatwoods,<ref name="Armstrongetal2001">{{citation | title = Analysis of sympatric populations of ''Lampropeltis triangulum syspila'' and ''Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides'', in western Kentucky and adjacent Tennessee with relation to the taxonomic status of the scarlet kingsnake | last1 = Armstrong | first1 = Michael P. | last2 = Frymire | first2 = David | last3 = Zimmerer | first3 = Edmund J. | journal = Journal of Herpetology | volume = 35 | issue = 4 | date = December 2001 | pages = 688–93 | issn = 0022-1511 | url = http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e050a2140da939dde29bfd13582719af621eb734dba33044f9d443e023694dc49&fmt=P | doi = 10.2307/1565915 | publisher = Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles | jstor = 1565915| url-access = subscription }}</ref> 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<ref name="Pyron & Burbrink 2009">{{Citation | title = Neogene diversification and taxonomic stability in the snake tribe Lampropeltini Serpentes: Colubridae | last1 = Pyron | first1 = R.A. | last2 = Burbrink | first2 = F.T. | journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume = 52 | pages = 524–529 | url = http://163.238.8.180/~fburbrink/Research/Publications/selected_publications.htm | doi = 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.008 | pmid = 19236930 | year = 2009 | issue = 2 | bibcode = 2009MolPE..52..524P | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111006051951/http://163.238.8.180/~fburbrink/Research/Publications/selected_publications.htm | archive-date = 2011-10-06 | url-access = subscription }}</ref> 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 {{convert|40|to|50|cm|abbr=on}} at maturity. The maximum recorded length is in Jonesboro, AR {{convert|76.2|cm|abbr=on}}. Hatchlings range in size from {{convert|8|to|18|cm|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wildlifetrapper.com/eastern-coral-snake"|title = Lakewood Ranch Snake Removal | Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal Lakewood Ranch Snake Trapping | Lakewood Ranch Animal Control Trapping Removal Service | Attic Repair and Restoration in Lakewood Ranch | Wildlife Trapper}}</ref>
==Taxonomy== [[File:G-Bartolotti juv SK.jpg|thumb|Juvenile, Florida locale]] [[File:SMKS.jpg|thumb|Juvenile scarlet kingsnake found swimming in a pool in Davenport, FL]] The [[Genus|generic]] name, ''[[Lampropeltis]]'', is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] ''lamprós'' (λαμπρος) meaning "shiny" and ''peltas'' (πελτας) meaning "shield", after the sheen of their scales.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tennant |first=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T23nAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 |title=Lone Star Field Guide to Texas Snakes |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4616-3564-2 |page=193 |quote=the smooth dorsal scales have an enamel-like surface to which the genus' Latin name, ''Lampropeltis'', or "shining skin shield," refers.}}</ref> Its [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''elapsoides'', is a Latinization of the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''éllops'' (ελλοπς)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia Herpetological Society |url=http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com |language=en}}</ref> which refers to coral and was used to describe the 19th century [[genus]], ''Elaps'' (the type [[genus]] of the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Elapidae]]), which included the eastern coral snake ''([[Micrurus fulvius]])'', a [[venomous]] [[species]] which the scarlet kingsnake resembles and with which the scarlet kingsnake is partly [[sympatric]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scarlet Kingsnake |url=https://a-z-animals.com/animals/scarlet-kingsnake/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=a-z-animals}}</ref> The range of scarlet kingsnakes extends considerably further north and northeast than the eastern coral snake.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Species Profile: Scarlet Kingsnake / Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulatum) {{!}} SREL Herpetology |url=https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/lamtri.htm |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=srelherp.uga.edu |archive-date=2023-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817071342/https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/lamtri.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Species Profile: Eastern Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius) {{!}} SREL Herpetology |url=https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/micful.htm |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=srelherp.uga.edu}}</ref>
The scarlet kingsnake was once believed to have [[intergrade]]d with the [[Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum|eastern milk snake]], which produced a variation once named as a subspecies called the [[Coastal Plains milk snake]] (''L. t. temporalis''), but this is no longer recognized as a legitimate [[taxon]].<ref name="Armstrongetal2001" /><ref name="Williams1988">{{citation | url = http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?collection=ENV&recid=1964640 | title = Systematics and natural history of the American milk snake, ''Lampropeltis triangulum''. | publisher = Milwaukee Public Museum | place = Milwaukee, WI | year = 1988 | last = Williams | first = Kenneth L. | author-link = Kenneth L. Williams}}</ref>
==Description== {{No footnotes|section|date=May 2016}}<!--PLEASE DO NOT add more examples of the phrase differentiating Coral snakes from King Snakes. We already have several, and it's made clear that there are a variety of very similar but slightly different phrases. Avoid WP:LISTCRUFT.--> [[File:Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides.jpg|thumb|right]] Scarlet kingsnakes have a tricolored pattern of black, red, white, and various shades of yellow bands that appear to [[mimic]] the [[venom]]ous [[coral snake]] in a form of [[Batesian mimicry]]. This method relies on generalization by predators that do not recognize that the mimicry of a Coral snake that the Scarlet King Snake's pattern displays is imperfect.<ref>Kikuchi, David W., et al. "Predator Cognition Permits Imperfect Coral Snake Mimicry." The American Naturalist, vol. 176, no. 6, 2010, pp. 830–34. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1086/657041. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.</ref> A method to help us differentiate between venomous and non-venomous tricolor snakes in [[North America]] is found in an enormous variety of popular phrases, which are usually some variation of "Red touches black, friend of jack, red touches yellow, kill a fellow", "red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack", or "if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow; if red touches black, you're all right, Jack". For tri-colored snakes found east of the Mississippi River, all of these phrases can be replaced with the simple phrase, "Red face, I'm safe", in reference to the red snout of scarlet kingsnakes as opposed to the prominent black snout of the eastern coral snake (''[[Micrurus fulvius]]'').{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
Scarlet kingsnakes are born with white, black, and red banding. As they mature, they develop varying shades of yellow within geographic areas where this is expressed. In addition, the yellowing is not uniform, but rather this pigmentation proceeds from lighter to darker from the lowermost scales upward to the dorsum, or "back", presenting a multiple yellowish band. Early expression of yellowing appears as early as 3 months and continues through the first 3 years. As adults age, a gradual darkening of the yellowish banding occurs. The yellow pigmentation varies from lemon, to school-bus yellow, to tangerine, to apricot. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
Scarlet kingsnakes are secretive, [[nocturnal]], [[fossorial]] snakes, so are infrequently seen by people. They are excellent climbers. They can be found underneath the loose bark on rotting pines (which is a favorite place for them to hide during spring or during heavy rains), under the bark on dying or decaying pines and their stumps, and decaying wood, where they hunt for their favorite prey, small [[snakes]] and [[lizards]], especially [[skink]]s. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
Hatchling scarlet kingsnakes show a strong predisposition for [[ground skink]]s (''Scincella lateralis''), often to the exclusion of other prey items. One study showed that elongate squamates made up about 97% of these snakes diets, potentially due to their small mouths. Out of those elongate squamates, the aforementioned skinks made up 74%, while colubroid snakes made up only 15%. All prey items ingested in this study were consumed headfirst, and on average prey was 19% of predator mass. It has also been noted that the diet of ''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' is unusually narrow compared to adults of most other species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Greene |first1=Harry W. |last2=Zimmerer |first2=Edmund J. |last3=Palmer |first3=William M. |last4=Benard |first4=Michael F. |date=2010-03-01 |title=Diet Specialization by the Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis elapsoides (Colubridae) |journal=Reptiles & Amphibians |language=en |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=18–22 |doi=10.17161/randa.v17i1.16057 |issn=2332-4961|doi-access=free }}</ref>
==Reproduction== The scarlet kingsnake is polygynandrous, meaning both males and females will mate with multiple partners.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Armstrong |first1=Michael P. |last2=Frymire |first2=David |last3=Zimmerer |first3=Edmund J. |date=2001 |title=Analysis of Sympatric Populations of Lampropeltis triangulum syspila and Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides, in Western Kentucky and Adjacent Tennessee with Relation to the Taxonomic Status of the Scarlet Kingsnake |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=688–693 |doi=10.2307/1565915 |jstor=1565915 |issn=0022-1511}}</ref> They mate from late May to early June and females lay eggs in June and July.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Row |first1=Jeffrey R. |last2=Blouin-Demers |first2=Gabriel |date=2006 |title=Thermal Quality Influences Effectiveness of Thermoregulation, Habitat Use, and Behaviour in Milk Snakes |journal=Oecologia |volume=148 |issue=1 |pages=1–11 |doi=10.1007/s00442-005-0350-7 |jstor=20445878 |pmid=16425042 |bibcode=2006Oecol.148....1R |issn=0029-8549}}</ref> Females have multiple egg clutches that incubate for 40–65 days.<ref>Groves, J. D., & Sachs, P. S. (1973). Eggs and young of the scarlet king snake, Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides. Journal of Herpetology, 7(4), 389. https://doi.org/10.2307/</ref>
''Lampropeltis elapsoides'' is an [[Oviparity|oviparous]] species of snake that lays eggs in clutches of 4-12, usually under rotting wood and between rocks and logs. These eggs are white and slender, with most adhering to one another. Eggs typically hatch within 2-2.5 months, though times may vary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia Herpetological Society |url=http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/ |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Diet == Scarlet Kingsnakes are specialized predators with 82% being lizards and 89% skinks. This diet is the narrowest of all the Lampropeltis genus. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Greene |first=Harry |last2=Zimmerer |first2=Edmund |last3=Palmer |first3=William |last4=Benard |first4=Michael |date=2010 |title=Diet Specialization by the Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis elapsoides (Colubridae) |url=https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v17i1.16057 |journal=Reptiles and Amphibians |volume=17 |issue=1}}</ref>
==In other media== ===Film=== Scarlet kingsnakes were used to simulate [[coral snake]]s in the 2006 film ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Case |first=Russ |date=2011-12-01 |title=Snakes On A Plane |url=https://reptilesmagazine.com/snakes-on-a-plane/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203074743/https://reptilesmagazine.com/snakes-on-a-plane/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=Reptiles Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> A scarlet kingsnake also appears briefly as an unidentified venomous snake in an early scene of 2001 film ''[[The Mummy Returns]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Mummy Returns (2001) |url=https://californiaherps.com/films/snakefilms/TheMummyReturns.html |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=californiaherps.com}}</ref>
===Television=== In Season 5 of ''[[Peep Show (British TV series)|Peep Show]]'' Super Hans rents a scarlet kingsnake as a prop for a house party. Despite Hans' [[mnemonic]] stating "Red next to black, jump the fuck back, red next to yellow, cuddly fellow", kingsnakes are not venomous.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * [[Roger Conant (herpetologist)|Conant, Roger]]. 1975. ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. {{ISBN|0-395-19979-4}} (hardcover), {{ISBN|0-395-19977-8}} (paperback). (''Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides'', p. 209 + Plate 30 + Map 153.) * [[John Edwards Holbrook|Holbrook, John Edwards]]. 1936. ''North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. II.'' Philadelphia: J. Dobson. 130 pp. + Plates I.- XXX. (''Coluber elapsoides'', pp. 123–125 + Plate XXVIII.) * [[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt, Karl P.]]; Davis, D. Dwight. 1941. ''Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (''Lampropeltis elapsoides'', p. 173 + Plate 6.) * [[Hobart Muir Smith|Smith, Hobart M.]]; Brodie, Edmund D., Jr. 1982. ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. {{ISBN|0-307-13666-3}}. (''Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides'', pp. 180–181.) * [[Albert Hazen Wright|Wright, Albert Hazen]]; Wright, Anna Allen. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock. 1,105 pp. (in two volumes) (''Lampropeltis doliata doliata'', pp. 351–355, Figure 106 + Map 31 on p. 338.)
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1950584}}
[[Category:Lampropeltis]] [[Category:Snakes of North America]] [[Category:Reptiles of the United States]] [[Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States]] [[Category:Reptiles described in 1838]] [[Category:Taxa named by John Edwards Holbrook]] [[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]