Lampropeltis getula meansi, Krysko & Judd, 2006

Krysko, Kenneth L. & Judd, Walter S., 2006, Morphological systematics of kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula complex (Serpentes: Colubridae), in the eastern United States, Zootaxa 1193 (1), pp. 1-39 : 24-26

Lampropeltis getula meansi ssp. nov.

Common name. English: Apalachicola Lowlands Kingsnake; Spanish: Serpiente rey de las tierras bajas de Apalachicola.

Holotype. UF 73433 (field tag DBM 1360 ), an adult male collected 9 June 1970 in the Apalachicola National Forest on FH­13 ca. 3.2 km W SR 67, Liberty County, Florida, United States, by D. Bruce Means ( Fig. 12 ).

Paratypes. All specimens from the Eastern Apalachicola Lowlands : UF 55449 , male, Liberty County, FL ; UF 55365 , male, Apalachicola National Forest , NFR 126, 0.1 km S NFR 111, Liberty County, FL ; UF 55362 , female, Apalachicola National Forest , NFR 107, 1.2 km E NFR 122, Liberty County, FL ; UF 55421 , male, Apalachicola National Forest , NFR 111, 1.6 km E NFR 120, Liberty County, FL ; UF 55385 , male, Apalachicola National Forest, SR 65, 4.8 km S Clio , Liberty County, FL ; UF 73638 , female, Apalachicola National Forest, SR 67, 12.8 km S Telogia , Liberty County, FL ; UF 128273, male, Tate’s Hell Swamp, US 98, 0.8 km W Carrabelle , Franklin County, FL ; UF 73639 , male, Tate’s Hell State Forest, SR 65, 1.6 km S Whiskey George Creek , Franklin County, FL .

Diagnosis. A large­sized, polymorphic population of Lampropeltis getula distinguished from all others by its overall light dorsal coloration, having either narrow or wide crossbands with considerably lightened interbands, or being non­banded (striped or patternless). Combinations of these basic phenotypes also occur regularly in the wild. The ventral pattern is also variable, being either bicolored, loose checkerboard with interspersed bicolored scales, or mostly dark.

Description of holotype. 1040 mm SVL; 155 mm tail; on both sides of head: 1 + 2 oculars, 2 + 3 + 4 temporals, 7 + 7 supralabials, 9 + 9 infralabials; 52 subcaudals; 21 DSR at midbody; 211 ventrals; dorsal pattern non­banded (patternless); ventral pattern bicolored cephalad with dark pigment suffused with bicolored scales caudally ( Fig. 12 ).

Variation. 250 mm to 1425 mm SVL; 1 + 2 oculars; arrangement of temporals (n = 95 head sides) 2 + 3 + 4 (74.7%), 3 + 3 + 4 (2.10%), 2 + 3 + 3 (9.47%), 2 + 2 + 4 (4.21%), 2 + 3 + 5 (3.15%), 2 + 2 + 3 (4.21%), 1 + 3 + 4 (1.05%), 1 + 3 + 3 (1.05%); 7 + 7 supralabials; infralabials (n = 91 head sides) 9 (54.9%), 10 (43.9%), 11 (1.0%); subcaudals in males 47 to 53 (mean = 50.6 ± S.E. = 0.43, n = 31), females 42 to 53 (mean = 45.5 ± 0.59, n = 17); 21 DSR at midbody; ventrals 206 to 222 (mean = 212.7 ± 0.47, n = 60). Dorsal pattern variable: crossbands wide (up to the entire body length) and numbering from 1 to 25 (mean = 16.0 ± 1.31, n = 26) in females and 1 to 23 (mean = 9.6 ± 0.82, n = 65) in males. Gradual ontogenetic interband lightening occurs on newborns’ normally black interbands on the anterior 1/2 to 3/4 of each scale, which varies from 25–100% of the intensity of the light crossbands in the adult stage (see Figs. 7 , 8 in Means & Krysko 2001). Adults that possess interbands the same intensity of the light crossbands appear to be non­banded (striped or patternless), but they can be distinguished from truly nonbanded morphs due to the difference in morphology between the light colored crossband and interband scale types ( Means & Krysko 2001).

Distribution. Found in the Eastern Apalachicola Lowlands in the Florida panhandle between the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee rivers and south of Telogia Creek, Franklin and Liberty counties. Individuals of this taxon are also occasionally found in the southwestern Apalachicola Lowlands on the western side of the Apalachicola River. Morphological intermediates (i.e., L. g. goini) between L. g. meansi and L. g. getula are found mostly in the surrounding region from southern Gulf and Franklin counties to the west, north to Calhoun County, and east into northern Liberty (north of Telogia Creek), Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, and Jefferson counties.

Etymology. The taxon name is a noun, named for Dr. D. Bruce Means in recognition of his discovery of the first known Eastern Apalachicola Lowlands kingsnake, as well as his contributions to our knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Coastal Plains.

Remarks. In the early to mid 1970s, it was not uncommon to encounter up to five Lampropeltis g. meansi crossing roads during the spring mating season ( Krysko & Smith 2005). However, after travelling thousands of kilometers and hours on these same roads during the 1990s, KLK found only one individual, which had just been killed by a vehicle ( Krysko & Smith 2005). Due to the rarity and severely declining populations of nearly all Lampropeltis getula in Florida ( Krysko 2001, 2002; Krysko & Smith 2005), L. g. meansi should be listed at the state and/or federal level.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Band or ring width in juveniles of the Lampropeltis getula complex. Note plesiomorphic (0) and apomorphic (1–4) conditions.

FIGURE 8. Strict consensus (left), majority rule (center), and random representative of 69 equally parsimonious trees (right) from unordered maximum­parsimony analysis of morphological data in the Lampropeltis getula complex. Majority rule (center) illustrates the percentage that nodes are found. Randomly selected tree (right) illustrates the number of steps (above) and bootstrap values (> 50%, below). Putative morphological intermediates are indicated with an asterisk next to sample.

FIGURE 12. Holotype of the Eastern Apalachicola Lowlands kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula meansi): dorsal (above) and ventral (below) views.