The nine species Lampropeltis are commonly called "kingsnakes." The generic name means "shiny shield" because of their highly polished dorsal scales, but each scale usually has two apical pits. Kingsnakes kill their prey by constriction, and are not known to cause envenomation in humans. Their diet tends to be catholic, they will feed on other snakes, lizards, rodents, birds, and eggs as well as some invertebrates. Kingsnakes tend to be resistant to snake venoms and are known to eat pit vipers and coral snakes . They are commonly kept as pets, and some species and subspecies have been bred for pattern and color mutations. Some kingsnakes have evolved to be coral snake mimics, such as the Scarlet Kingsnake. The rhymes used to distinguish between the coral snake and its mimics (such as "Red and black nice to Jack. Red and yellow kills a fellow.") are only valid for kingsnakes and coral snakes in the USA. Kingsnakes are distributed from from southern Canada southward through the USA, Mexico, and Central America into Ecuador and Venezuela.

Gray-Banded Kingsnake, Lampropeltis alterna (Brown, 1902). A captive specimen from an unknown locality. It is endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert and Edwards Plateau of west Texas where it lives at elevations of 450-2357 m. Much of its time is spent in rock crevices and it is mostly active at night. It feeds primarily on lizards, but will also take rodents and frogs.

Yellow-Bellied KIngsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster (Harlan, 1827). This is a species of open habitats, grasslands, agricultural fields, open woodlands, and urban environments. Much of its time is spent underground. It ranges from central Kentucky westward to Nebraska, Oklahoma and eastern Texas. It is absent from much of the Gulf Coast but has isolated populations in peninsular Florida. It will take a variety of prey, but the literature and personal observations suggest rodents are often eaten.

California Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula californiae (Blainville, 1835). This subspecies of the common kingsnake comes in two common morphs in the wild, banded and striped. Photos of captive specimens.

Common Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula californiae (Blainville, 1835). These color morphs of the California Kingsnake are ones that have been selected by snake breeders.

The Black Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula nigra (Yarrow, 1882). Black KIngsnakes inhabit the central Gulf Coastal Plain and surround areas east of the Mississippi. They can often be found in old field environments where ground cover and rodents are abundant. The animal at the left is from Jackson County, Illinois.

Outer Banks Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula "sticticeps" Barbour and Engels, 1942. The validity of this subspecies has been questioned and recent molecular studies suggest it is an integrade between L. g. floridana and L. g. getula (Krysko and Judd, 2006. Zootaxa 1193: 1–39).

Jalisco Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum arcifera Werner, 1903. From the vicinity of Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Eastern Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum (Lacepede, 1788). Monroe County, Wisconsin.

Scarlet Kingsnake, Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides (Holbrook, 1838) eating an Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis.

Central Plains Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis (Baird and Girard, 1853). Note that this specimen may be an integrade between L. t. gentilis and the Pale Milk Snake, L. t. multistriata.

Honduran Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis Williams, 1978.

Red Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum syspila (Cope, 1888).