""""HOW AND WHEN DID OLD WORLD RAT SNAKES DISPERSE INTO THE NEW WORLD?""""



I don't know, but I get a good laugh anytime Burbrink plays with a chemistry set!



""""They pick the Bering Strait as the migration Route (the usual choice).""""



Why? Who deemed that "migration" must be the answer? If that were the case, then why aren't there any Vipera or Elaphe type snakes on the west coast of the U.S.......versus Crotalus and Pituophis.



This p-tree doesn't work for me, but in any case, it didn't come to the new world via the Bering Strait (in the case of Gloydius, Deinagkistridon, etc..... I'm leaning toward convergent evolution):



Patrick Alexander's use of data, based on a combination of Utiger, et al. and Burbrink, et al.



""""They have Coronella as the nearest relation to the new world lampropeltines.""""



Bering Strait?



""""They have separated bella from Elaphe.""""



At least they got something right.



""""They put the fox snakes into a branch with the pits.""""



When I find one, I'm going to lifelist it as Scotophis! I'm unsure where I'm going to place it on the p-tree



""""They put Bogertophis into a branch with the king snakes and their kin.""""



Too funny.......from what I can tell, the "new" field of molecular work is a lot like the not so new field of statistics.......you can make it look like anything you want it to......Burbrink seems to have employed that fact, and harnessed it as a means to making his name known! It doesn't help that he is given honorary membership in a rat snake society



Shane




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Lifelist

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