Zach, others:
A number of issues are contained in Zach's post which I will dwell on individually in separate posts.

Elevating the subspecies Charina bottae umbratica to species status (Charina umbratica), was premature as was the scientific community's willingness to recognize the new species based on a single published account. In reviewing a pre-publication draft of that mtDNA paper, I informed one of the co-authors of a number of glitches but the paper was published containing those glitches .

Within the past two years, a more comprehensive mtDNA study was completed that involved a master thesis project. The thesis project is likely to be completed by next month. There is some reasonable expectations that the results of that study will eventually get published, at least that is my hope and the hope of the grad student.

Combined with information of a morphological nature I have recorded on various C. bottae populations found throughout parts of S. Calif., results of this new mtDNA recent study not only challenges the separate species scenario, but doubt may also arise about the subspecies designation for Charina bottae umbratica or Southern Rubber Boa which officially is designated to occur only in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mts. east of L.A. I can provide additional detail if anyone is interested.

Richard F. Hoyer (Corvallis, Oregon)

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