In Louisiana here there is a huge debate over....PICs

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Posted by Michael Beran on April 17, 2002 at 13:39:42:

In Reply to: Natural Hybrids? posted by Donovan on April 17, 2002 at 10:13:51:

the Great Plains Rat, Corn and Kisatchi Corn. Popular belif is that the K. Corn is a Great Plains hybrid. While herping during the summer months around here you can catch a bag full and they all look quite a bit alike so much so you have to have an expert to seperate the two .....

"Elaphe g. guttata is generally thought to occur in and adjacent to the Florida Parishes and along the western margin of the lower Atchafalaya Basin, and to intergrade with E. g. emoryi in central Louisiana". They also conclude that they believe a case could be made for considering those from extreme northwestern Louisiana to be Elaphe guttata emoryi.

Another theory about the evolution of this "species" in Louisiana is that the corn snakes from the east were intergrading with the Great Plains (Emory's) rat snakes from the west. When the habitat changed in central Louisiana, it cut them off from the gene pools of the "pure" animals and only the intergrades survived. Once these animals were isolated they began to change from the parental stock on each side, eventually leading to a distinct population of snakes. This is a plausible theory that would make an interesting study.

I tried to credit PICs where I could .....

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Those would be intergrades, not hybrids. There are records... Chris H. 04/17/02 (0)

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: the Great Plains Rat, Corn and Kisatchi Corn. Popular belif is that the K. Corn is a Great Plains hybrid. While herping during the summer months around here you can catch a bag full and they all look quite a bit alike so much so you have to have an expert to seperate the two ..... : <img src="http://www.kingsnake.com/louisiana/pics/kisatchiecorn1.jpg"> : "Elaphe g. guttata is generally thought to occur in and adjacent to the Florida Parishes and along the western margin of the lower Atchafalaya Basin, and to intergrade with E. g. emoryi in central Louisiana". They also conclude that they believe a case could be made for considering those from extreme northwestern Louisiana to be Elaphe guttata emoryi. : <img src="http://www.kingsnake.com/louisiana/pics/texas_rat2.jpg"> : Another theory about the evolution of this "species" in Louisiana is that the corn snakes from the east were intergrading with the Great Plains (Emory's) rat snakes from the west. When the habitat changed in central Louisiana, it cut them off from the gene pools of the "pure" animals and only the intergrades survived. Once these animals were isolated they began to change from the parental stock on each side, eventually leading to a distinct population of snakes. This is a plausible theory that would make an interesting study. : <img src="http://www.apae.it/foto/emory.jpg"> : <img src="http://www.lifesci.utexas.edu/research/txherps/photos/elaphe.guttata.emoryi.CR.jpg"> : <img src="http://www.lifesci.utexas.edu/research/txherps/photos/elaphe.guttata.gif"> : <img src="http://www.lifesci.utexas.edu/research/txherps/photos/elaphe.guttata3.jpg"> : I tried to credit PICs where I could ..... : <img src="http://www.kingsnake.com/ratsnake/rivemory.jpg">

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