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Most invasive species are not studied during their initial colonization of ecosystems to which they were recently introduced. Rather, research is typically performed after invasive species are well established and causing harm to the native biodiversity. Thus, novel adaptations of invasive species during their initial invasions are rarely identified. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) is an invasive species in the Canary Islands that originated via escape or release from captive populations. Previous studies have demonstrated several morphological differences between the native California population and the invasive populations on Gran Canaria Island, particularly in regard to color pattern and body mass. In this study, we assessed the reproductive condition of 1,538 museum specimens of L. californiae from the native range, and 668 from Gran Canaria. Our results show that 57.1% of female L. californiae from Gran Canaria were gravid versus 13.4% of those from California. Moreover, average follicle size and clutch size were both greater in the invasive range (20.3 and 65%). In addition, there was a marked phenological shift in the invasive populations, among which follicles appeared 60 days sooner than in the native range. These differences can possibly be attributed to a larger body mass in the invasive populations, a lack of interspecific competition, origination from the pet trade, increased selection for large clutch sizes, and/or increased climate suitability in the invaded habitats. Overall, these reproductive and phenological attributes appear to constitute advantages for L. californiae during the invasion of this newly encountered ecosystem. The phenomenon of reproductive plasticity might generally be advantageous for rapid irruption of snakes on islands.

Invasive snakes represent a serious threat to island biodiversity, being responsible for far-reaching impacts that are noticeably understudied, particularly regarding native reptiles. We analysed the impact of the invasive California kingsnake, Lampropeltis californiae—recently introduced in the Canary Islands—on the abundance of all endemic herpetofauna of the island of Gran Canaria. We quantified the density in invaded and uninvaded sites for the Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gallotia stehlini, the Gran Canaria skink, Chalcides sexlineatus, and Boettger's wall gecko, Tarentola boettgeri. We used spatially explicit capture-recapture and distance-sampling methods for G. stehlini and active searches under rocks for the abundance of the other two reptiles. The abundance of all species was lower in invaded sites, with a reduction in the number of individuals greater than 90% for G. stehlini, greater than 80% for C. sexlineatus and greater than 50% for T. boettgeri in invaded sites. Our results illustrate the severe impact of L. californiae on the endemic herpetofauna of Gran Canaria and highlight the need for strengthened measures to manage this invasion. We also provide further evidence of the negative consequences of invasive snakes on island reptiles and emphasize the need for further research on this matter on islands worldwide., This research has been funded by Fundacion BBVA, within the 2018 call of ‘Ayudas a Equipos de Investigación Científica en Ecología y Biología de la Conservación’, the Canary Island Government, and Cabildo de Gran Canaria. J.C.P. is funded by a doctoral fellowship supported by the Agencia Canaria de la Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información and the European Social Fund (Operational Programme of the Canary Islands 2014–2020—Priority Axis 3: Priority Theme 74, 85%). Cabildo de Tenerife funds MLD, Program TF INNOVA 2016-21 (with MEDI & FDCAN Funds).

Las especies invasoras son un problema grave para la biodiversidad insular, siendo uno de sus impactos más impredecibles la alteración que causan en las redes tróficas. La culebra real de California Lampropeltis californiae es una especie de colúbrido que invade la isla de Gran Canaria desde hace más de una veintena de años. Su presión de depredación ha mermado o incluso extinguido las poblaciones de reptiles endémicos en las zonas invadidas, lo que cabe esperar que cause efectos en cadena en las interacciones tróficas de la isla. Con el presente trabajo se pretende comprobar si esta afección sobre la herpetofauna puede conducir un cambio en la abundancia o riqueza de artrópodos. Para ello se realizó un muestreo mediante vareo de las especies vegetales más abundantes en 5 localidades invadidas y 5 no invadidas por las culebras y se cuantificó la abundancia y riqueza de la fauna artrópoda. Las especies vegetales muestreadas mostraron diferencias entre sí en varios órdenes de artrópodos, si bien sólo se detectaron diferencias significativas en la abundancia de Sarcoptiformes y Hemípteros entre las zonas invadidas y sin invadir. Estos resultados permiten elucidar los impactos de la culebra real de California sobre los ecosistemas de Gran Canaria, si bien el muestreo realizado debe complementarse con muestreos integrales de fauna artrópoda. Invasive species are a serious issue for island biodiversity, one of the most unpredictable impacts being the alteration they cause in trophic webs. The California kingsnake Lampropeltis californiae is a species of colubrid that has invaded the island of Gran Canaria for more than twenty years. Their predation pressure has reduced or even caused the extinction of endemic reptile populations in the invaded areas, which can be expected to cause knock-on effects on the island's trophic interactions. The present study aims to verify whether this effect on the herpetofauna can lead to a change in the abundance or richness of arthropods. In order to achieve this, a sampling was carried out by beating of the most abundant plant species in five invaded localities and five not invaded by snakes, and the abundance and richness of the arthropod fauna was quantified. The sampled plant species showed differences between them in various orders of arthropods, although significant differences were only detected in the abundance of Sarcoptiformes and Hemiptera between the invaded and non-invaded areas. These results make it possible to elucidate the impacts of the California kingsnake on the ecosystems of Gran Canaria, although the sampling carried out must be complemented with comprehensive samples of arthropod fauna.

The interaction between climate change and biological invasions is a global conservation challenge with major consequences for invasive species management. However, our understanding of this interaction has substantial knowledge gaps; this is particularly relevant for invasive snakes on islands because they can be a serious threat to island ecosystems. Here we evaluated the potential influence of climate change on the distribution of invasive snakes on islands, using the invasion of the California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) in Gran Canaria. We analysed the potential distribution of L. californiae under current and future climatic conditions in the Canary Islands, with the underlying hypothesis that the archipelago might be suitable for the species under these climate scenarios. Our results indicate that the Canary Islands are currently highly suitable for the invasive snake, with increased suitability under the climate change scenarios tested here. This study supports the idea that invasive reptiles represent a substantial threat to near-tropical regions, and builds on previous studies suggesting that the menace of invasive reptiles may persist or even be exacerbated by climate change. We suggest future research should continue to fill the knowledge gap regarding invasive reptiles, in particular snakes, to clarify their potential future impacts on global biodiversity., JCP is funded by a doctoral fellowship supported by the Agencia Canaria de la Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información and the European Social Fund (Operational Programme of the Canary Islands 2014–2020 – Priority Axis 3: Priority Theme 74, 85%). MLD was funded by a research contract from the Transference Plan of the Cabildo de Tenerife, under the registration mark “Tenerife 2030” (P. INNOVA 2016–2021). This research has been partially funded by Fundacion BBVA, within the 2018 call of “Ayudas a Equipos de Investigación Científica en Ecología y Biología de la Conservación”. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

A 21-year-old female California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) was presented to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria, with a space-occupying mass in the caudal abdomen. Following clinical, radiological and sonographical evaluation the mass was removed surgically. Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the diagnosis of a granular cell tumour, but immunohistochemical labelling for a range of markers was negative. This lesion is rare in mammals and birds, but has not been reported previously in a reptile.

Ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease) is an emerging threat to snake health worldwide. We report a case of disseminated ophidiomycosis in a California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) from Plymouth, Amador County, California, US, which is the first report of the disease in this species and in a free-ranging snake in California.

We investigated the spatial ecology of the California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) in unfragmented and fragmented habitat with varying patch sizes and degrees of exposure to urban edges. We radiotracked 34 Kingsnakes for up to 3 yr across four site types: interior areas of unfragmented ecological reserves, the urbanized edge of these reserves, large habitat fragments, and small habitat fragments. There was no relationship between California Kingsnake movements and the degree of exposure to urban edges and fragmentation. Home range size and movement patterns of Kingsnakes on edges and fragments resembled those in unfragmented sites. Average home-range size on each site type was smaller than the smallest fragment in which snakes were tracked. The persistence of California Kingsnakes in fragmented landscapes may be related directly to their small spatial movement patterns, home-range overlap, and ability to use urban edge habitat.

Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville 1835) (Figs. 1���3) California Kingsnake Holotype: Unknown, collected by M. Botta. Type Locality: ���California��� (Blainville 1835). Restricted to Fresno, California by Schmidt (1953). Etymology: Specific epithet refers to the type locality. Synonymy: This species is essentially co-terminous with the previously recognized subspecies L. g. californiae, and L. g. nigrita. Diagnosis: The California Kingsnake (L. californiae) is a medium- to large-bodied constrictor, with a mean adult size range of 76���122cm, and a maximum size of ~ 200cm (Stebbins 2003). In both sexes, ventral scale counts range from 213���255, with 46���63 subcaudal scales in males and 44���57 in females (Blaney 1977). Scales are smooth and anal plate single, with 23���25 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The California Kingsnake exhibits one of the broadest ranges of any kingsnake species, occupying most habitats west of the continental divide at the Cochise filter barrier (Fig. 2). The species ranges from Oregon in the north, through the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, east to extreme southwestern Colorado, south through the majority of California, Arizona and the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California Norte, and Baja Sur (Fig. 2). The California Kingsnake can be distinguished from other species on the basis of color pattern, possibly the most distinct of the group. Throughout the majority of their range, California Kingsnakes exhibit a black or dark brown ground color, with 21���44 broad crossbands of white or light yellow, which typically widen laterally. Along the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to San Diego counties, individuals can be found possessing a black or dark brown ground color and a single thin, white dorsal stripe beginning at the neck and continuing to to the tail (Fig. 3). Finally, populations in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa may exhibit considerable ontogenetic darkening, with adults, and occasionally subadults and even juveniles turning jet black, with almost no trace of pattern (Blaney 1977; Stebbins 2003). To which species the Sonora populations belong is unclear; while we group them with L. californiae on the basis of geography, some authors have suggested that they resemble and hybridize with both L. g. ���splendida��� and L. g. ���californiae��� (Blanchard 1921; Blaney 1977)., Published as part of Pyron, Alexander & Burbrink, Frank T., 2009, Systematics of the Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula; Serpentes: Colubridae) and the burden of heritage in taxonomy, pp. 22-32 in Zootaxa 2241 on pages 27-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190597, {"references":["Blainville, H. D. (1835) Description de quelques especes de reptiles de la Californie. Nouvelles Annales Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle Paris, 4,233 - 296.","Schmidt, K. P. (1953) A check list of North American. amphibians and reptiles. 6 th ed. University Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 280 pp.","Stebbins, R. C. (2003) A Field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. 3 rd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 572 pp.","Blaney, R. M. (1977) Systematics of the Common Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getulus (Linnaeus). Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany, 19, 47 - 104.","Blanchard, F. N. (1921) A revision of the king snakes, genus Lampropeltis. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 114, 1 - 260."]}

Lampropeltis californiae (Blainville), 1835, a striped king snake of southern California and northern Lower California is shown to be a pattern phase, rather than specifically distinct from the common ringed king snakes of the Pacific Coast hitherto known as Lampropeltis getulus boylii (Baird and Girard), 1853. The combined form must be known as Lampropeltis getulus californiae. The proof of identity was secured by hatching broods which contained both forms. By analogy Lampropeltis nitida of the Cape region of Lower California is thought to be a pattern and color phase of Lampropeltis getulus conjuncta, but this in turn is of doubtful validity so that all of these king snakes should be referred to as L. g. californiae.