Born 4/22/2013, the dame of this litter was produced last year from breeding the wild caught Dodge Co. albino T.radix to my female axanthic T.radix. The axanthic gene has not been completely well characterized or documented, but it has long been suspected that the axanthic gene and the anerythristic gene are co-allelic to each other. That is the two mutations are different alleles or slightly different mutations yet exist at the same loci or location on a gene. Thus, an axanthic phenotype is actually genotypically one copy axanthic gene and one copy anerythristic gene. Two copies of the anerythristic gene which is recessive yields the anerthristic phenotype, a very dark almost solid black snake. However, two copies of the axanthic gene does not yield a phenotypic axanthic snake. Only when a snake inherits one copy of the axanthic gene and one copy of the anerythristic gene does the axanthic phenotype manifest itself.

The dame was a normal looking phenotype, she had a 50% chance to be carrying a copy of axanthic and a 50% chance of carrying the anerythristic gene, and due to her father was also het Dodge Co. albino. The dame proved out to actually be het for anerythristic and het Dodge Co. albino based on the premise that the axanthic gene and the anerythristic gene are co-allelic and the types and ratios of this litter there is only one possibility based on the punnet squares. Base on the ratio and types of offspring she could not be het for axanthic gene. The sire of this litter was an axanthic T.radix purchased this winter from Scott Felzer.The sire proved out to also be het Iowa albino, which was a bonus surprise that neither Scott nor I were unaware of.

Originally it was suspected that the wild caught albino male from Dodge Co. Nebraska was a Nebraska type strain with a dark orange dorsal stripe, however this litter actually proved that the albino is actually compatible with the Iowa strain albino. The results were 16 big healthy babies, 4 normal, 4 axanthics, 2 anerythristics, 1 high orange dorsal striped albino, 3 snows, and 2 blizzards. The two blizzards have faint orange dorsal stripes that go about half way down the back. Can't wait to see what the blizzards and axanthics look like when they get a little size.

This was an exciting litter in several ways, there were no stillborns or slugs, there is a nice variety of different morphs and morph combinations, the Dodge Co. albino proved out to be compatible to the Iowa strain albino, and the further confirmed and characterized the axanthic gene. I hope to get better picture when they get a little bigger.

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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

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