StevenX,



Lance got it.



I was referring to how phylogenetically unusual subocs are compared to alterna. In other words, alterna are related to most other Lampropeltinine colubrids to a greater degree than are subocs -- e.g. you can hybridize alterna with Pantherophis and other Lampropeltis (and they naturally hybridize too), but subocs are so divergent and reproductively isolated from those taxa, that they don't/can't even hybridize with them. This has to do with reproductive isolation due to evolutionary genetics (40 diploid chromosome pairs compared to the usual 36) and due to reproductive ecology (subocs breed and lay later than all other colubrids in the U.S.).



So I was just joshin' with Chris -- nothing to do with numbers and/or how easy they are to detect. Just with how evolutionary unusual they are compared to alterna.



Cheers,



Dusty R.



p.s. Lance, your prize is your choice of a ketchup, bbq, or honey mustard sauce pack from McDonalds.
Suboc.com

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