Three stripes of yellow, orange, or sometimes bluish. Background color black. Labial scales uniform cream. White spot just in front of eye. Parietal spots on head large and touching. Belly unmarked. 
Arkansas Herpetological Atlas 2019
This species is represented by 464 records from 31 sources: 340 museum (
), 0 literature (
), 0 research (
), and 80 observation (
), with 44 additional Trauth et al. (2004) locality points remaining unsourced (
). It has been museum vouchered for 59 of 75 counties (), with 5 additional counties having other forms of reported occurrence (). Years of collection range from 1894 to present.
This species occurs throughout most of the state, with records lacking from the central Boston Mountains and Ozark Highlands of northcentral Arkansas. The isolated record from Newton County (ASUMZ 27283 from 2002) may warrant reexamination, but is likely valid.
