The pattern on its skin consists of tricolor bands in black, red, and white. The white bands are more or less wide, being a feature that allows differentiation between very similar species.

A good number of individuals belonging to this species, mainly those with more striking colors, can be confused with the venomous coral snakes of the genus Micrurus. The differences between both genera lie fundamentally in the order and arrangement of the colored rings and, above all, in the interruption of these rings on the belly of the harmless Lampropeltis, since in coral snakes each ring is complete. We can say that this skin adaptation, imitating venomous species, is a defense system against their potential predators.