The paravertebral stripes begin anteriorly on the nape or at any point on the anterior one-third of the body and continue as discrete stripes onto the base of the tail. Anteriorly these stripes are always broken into a series of dashes; posteriorly the stripes are continuous. In specimens in which the paravertebral stripes do not begin on the anterior-most part of the body, there is no paravertebral pigmentation anteriorly. In addition to the paravertebrals, the other dorsal dark stripes are variable. In some specimens the stripes are present anteriorly and gradually disappear near mid-body (the first dark stripe only on three specimens). In other specimens the stripes are present anteriorly as dashes and become continuous at mid-body; in others the stripes are continuous throughout. Posteriorly continuous stripes are of uniform width; anteriorly sometimes they are wide on the tip of each scale and narrow on the base (fig. 1, F). The variation in continuity and width described above is found in all of the dorsal dark stripes. The ventrals usually have more or less conspicuous dark spots laterally; in some specimens there are no spots. Except for the dark lateral spots, when present, the ventrals are immaculate white. Usually the dorsal ground-color is a pale tan, especially between the first and second, and the third and fourth dark stripes. The areas between the second and third dark stripes and across the dorsum between the fourth stripes on each side are pale brown. In some specimens the dorsum between the paravertebral stripes is still paler brown. Never is more than the lower third of the supralabials brown. Many specimens have little brown, and others none. In most of those specimens having brown on the supralabials, the chin and infralabials are dusky tan or gray. There is little or no brown on the supralabials or the chin in the northern part of the range (Chiapas), whereas the greatest amount of brown on the labials and chin is found on some specimens from the southern part of the range (Honduras). Since there is considerable variation in the amount of brown on the chin and labials of specimens from single localities, the slight geographic trend in this character seemingly is not significant. In juveniles six black or dark brown stripes boldly contrast with a white or pale tan ground-color. At mid-body the first pair of dark stripes is on the 1st scale row; the second pair on the 3rd and 4th rows; the third pair on the 7th, 8th and at least the lower half of the 9th rows (fig. 3, B). Ontogenetic change in coloration consists of the splitting of the second and third pairs of dark stripes in the juvenile. The first stripe does not split. Consequently adults have ten dark stripes.