We agree on the first point, that there should be unique names.

As for the Honduran thing, I am definitely not trying to lump hypomelanistic and T-positive albino together. They are two different names.

To me, "hypomelanistic" means lighter than normal because of less melanin than normal. While "T-positive albino" means lighter than normal and with functional tyrosinase. Having any melanin means that hypomelanistic snakes have functional melanin. So as descriptions, the two mean the same thing.

When there are two or more names, and all mean the same thing, and as a description each name is acceptable, why not retain the one in common use?

If you think that hypomelanistic in boa constrictors does not look like hypomelanistic in Hondurans, then we agree. That is one of the reasons that I prefer the name "salmon" for the boa constrictor mutant. Hypomelanistic in Hondurans is more like hypomelanistic in corn snakes, which was discovered before hypomelanistic (salmon) in boa constrictors.

Paul Hollander

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