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Posted by vvvddd on October 11, 2002 at 23:53:11:
In Reply to: Re: Major problems with Elaphe... posted by Terry Cox on October 07, 2002 at 18:27:57:
Hey
It bugs me that Helfenberger did not (according to the website on your link anyway, I'm having trouble finding the paper in my school's tiny library) mention anything about American ratsnakes.
What I was saying about the Duvernoy's gland is that it seems to be a much more prevalent trait in many eurasian colubrines, but it is largely absent from many american colubrines. I have no idea how that fits in to the evolutionary relationships.
About your experiences with the Elaphe species, its very possible that Helfenberger saw more molecular simularities between conspicillata and the porphyracea group, and also between mandarina and the moellendorffi group, than Mandarina and conspicillata showed between each other.
Molecular studies generally show evolutionary relationships. What you are describing (I'm assuming behavior, general morphology) are traits that could have evolved more recently than the split between the species. What I am saying is that mandarina and conspicillata are probably not very related to each other, but have evolved to fill the same niches in their different geographic ranges.
Do you see what I'm trying to get at?
Van
