Posted by:
DMong
at Sat Oct 15 13:18:41 2011 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DMong ]
Another great example of DNA data would pertain to Gibbons and Coker(1978) and Palmer and Braswell(1995) when they no longer recognized "L.g.sticticeps" to be a distinct seperate subspecies on the Outer Banks islands even though their phenotype was very noticeably different from the mainland forms, as well as some head shape discrepency in certain specimens. The molecular data found them to have the exact same haplotype found on the adjacent mainland and as far away as southwest Georgia. This concludes that there isn't any relict geneflow from L.g.floridana as was once theorized by some when their natural ranges might have been far different than it is today.
But regardless of any of that, I do very much believe them to be a very unique race of L.g.getula that deserves recognition due to their very different phenotype from being isolated there on the thin chain of islands off the coast for whatever reason(s). To herpetoculturists and hobbyists, they will always remain very special and bred for their original unique characteristics seperate of the closely related mainland forms..
~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing" 
serpentinespecialties.webs.com
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also............. - DMong, Sat Oct 15 13:18:41 2011