"Coastal Plain Milksnake" (Lampropeltis sp.)

Information

​Recognized Subspecies in VA: N/A
Size: Probably 24 - 36 inches
Range: Coastal Plain and Eastern Shore
Status: Unknown

The Coastal Plain Milksnake is an interesting snake. Historically, this snake has been considered an intergrade of the Eastern Milksnake and the Scarlet Kingsnake, and before that a subspecies of the Eastern Milksnake "Lampropeltis triangulum temporalis". They are known to occur from Virginia Beach, up to New Jersey. The confusion comes from a recent study that tested snakes in North Carolina and Virginia and concluded that these are "all Scarlet Kingsnakes". The issue is, the snakes tested in NC were outside of the intergrade zone, and the two snakes tested in VA were from known Scarlet Kingsnake locals, that had never yielded Coastal Plain Milksnakes and the specimens tested did not appear to be Coastals either. Furthermore, the drawn-up range map did not include the Delmarva Peninsula, or anywhere north. Captive produced hybrids of these species also look identical to these snakes. It seems this snake is becoming rarer and rare, and maybe one day we will actually learn the mystery of the Coastal Plain Milksnake.