Alternate name: Ring-necked Snake
Family: Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes view all from this family
Description 10-30" (25.4-76.2 cm). A small slender snake, with a yellow, cream, or orange neck ring and bright yellow, orange, or red belly. Back gray, olive, brownish, or black; belly frequently marked with black spots. Neck ring may be interrupted, obscure, or occasionally absent. Loreal scale present. Scales smooth, in 15-17 rows. Anal plate divided.
Subspecies Southern (D. p. punctatus), neck ring interrupted, single row of half-moon spots down midline of belly; coastal plain and piedmont, s. New Jersey to Mobile Bay, Alabama, south to Florida Keys.
Key (D. p. acricus), neck ring absent, 15 scale rows; Big Pine Key, Florida.
Pacific (D. p. amabilis), neck ring narrow, numerous belly spots; San Francisco Bay area, California.
Prairie (D. p. arnyi), neck ring complete or interrupted; numerous scattered belly spots; se. South Dakota and extreme se. Minnesota, south to nw. Arkansas, sc. Texas, and e. New Mexico.
Northern (D. p. edwardsii), neck ring golden, belly typically unspotted; Nova Scotia, south in the Appalachians to n. Georgia and ne. Alabama, west to se. Illinois and the Great Lakes region through Wisconsin.
San Bernardino (D. p. modestus), neck ring narrow, heavy black spotting on belly, 17 scale rows on neck region; n. San Diego County to Los Angeles County, east to San Bernardino Mountains.
Northwestern (D. p. occidentalis), neck ring wide, belly lightly spotted; extreme sw. Washington, south along coast to Sonoma County, California. Isolated populations in Idaho and Washington.
Coral-bellied (D. p. pulchellus), neck ring wide, belly spots few or absent; western slopes of Sierra Nevadas, California.
Regal (D. p. regalis), neck ring absent, 17 scale rows; se. Idaho south through w. Utah, se. Nevada, Arizona, w. New Mexico, Trans-Pecos region of Texas, and into Mexico. Isolated populations from se. Idaho to se. California.
San Diego (D. p. similis), neck ring narrow, belly moderately spotted; sw. San Bernardino County south into Baja California.
Mississippi (D. p. stictogenys), narrow neck ring often interrupted, paired black spots down midline of belly; extreme s. Illinois, south in Mississippi Valley to the Gulf, Mobile Bay west to e. Texas.
Monterey (D. p. vandenburghii), neck ring wide, belly spots few and small, 17 scale rows on neck region; Ventura County to Santa Cruz County, California.
Breeding Mates in spring or fall. Clutches of 1-10 elongate white or yellowish eggs, 1" (25 mm) long, are laid June to July in communal nesting sites. Young hatch in about 8 weeks, at 4-6" (10-15 cm); mature in 2-3 years. A Florida female gave live birth to 6 young.
Habitat Moist situations in varied habitat; forest, grassland, rocky wooded hillsides, chaparral, into upland desert along streams; sea level to ca. 7,000' (2,150 m).
Range Nova Scotia to Florida Keys, west to the Pacific coast, south to c. Mexico.
Discussion Secretive. Most often seen under flat rocks, logs, or loose bark of dead trees. When threatened, red-bellied forms tightly coil the tail and elevate it to display brightly colored underside. Rarely attempts to bite when picked up, but will void musk and foul-smelling contents of the cloaca. Partially constricts prey, which includes earthworms, slugs, small salamanders, lizards, and newborn snakes.
