Relatively large. Color a midnight blue with bold, broad, silvery-white crossbands (often forming the appearance of inverse circles). Belly black. 
Arkansas Herpetological Atlas 2019
This species is represented by 1,219 records from 32 sources: 1,100 museum (
), 0 literature (
), 0 research (
), and 74 observation (
), with 45 additional Trauth et al. (2004) locality points remaining unsourced (
). It has been museum vouchered for 65 of 75 counties (), with 4 additional counties having other forms of reported occurrence (). Years of collection range from 1897 to present.
This species occurs throughout most of the state, but with spotty occurrence in the Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains. Questionable historical records from northwest Arkansas in Newton and Washington counties (UAFMC 0068-0735-0943 from 1938 and OSUCOV 2232-2233 from 1955) may warrant reexamination. A record from Marion County (ASUMZ 29870 from 2005) provides no specific locality information.
