When comparing Yellow Belly to Mojave, what feature usually distinguishes the Yellow Belly's ventral marking?

Mojave's belly speckling usually lacks the distinct, often bold smudging characteristic of the Yellow Belly

Distinguishing the Yellow Belly from other lightening genes like Mojave requires focusing on the specific quality of the ventral markings. While the Mojave also lightens the base color and its belly can occasionally show light speckling, the Yellow Belly morph is strongly characterized by the consistent presence of distinct dark spots, smudges, or stippling that are often bolder or more pronounced than the finer speckling sometimes found on a Mojave. The classic Yellow Belly signature involves this darker, sometimes heavy, smudging across the lighter ventral scales, whereas the Mojave's side patterns are often described as cleaner or more intricate, and its belly markings, if present, tend to be less dramatically defined or smudged than those produced by the Yellow Belly gene.