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Part II of III: Another part of my Ph.D. work involves morphometric and DNA (mitochondrial and nuclear) work on Lampropeltis pyromelena (Mountain Kingsnake subspecies). The purpose of this work is (like my work with L. triangulum elapsoides) to look at whether pyromelena is a coral snake mimic throughout its range (which goes hundreds of kilometers outside the range of Microroides euryxanthus) or whether the ringed pattern is there for some other reason (crypsis, species recognition, mate choice, etc…). I’ll also look at the relationships between the various L. pyromelena forms and compare my work with that of others.



I am seeking help obtaining samples. I can use both wild caught and captive bred individuals as long as you know the county and state of origin. I need to know that any snakes collected for this project are collected legally and may need copies of collecting permits.



For the DNA work I need one of the following types of tissue from each individual:

- Shed skin

- Frozen tissue (muscle/organs)

- Alcohol-preserved tissue (muscle/organs)

- Bone



For the Morphometrics work I need digital photos of the following:

- Dorsal surface

- Ventral surface

- Close-up of top and sides of head

- A size standard in each photo if possible (small ruler, quarter, etc…)



Please email me for shipping details and/or instructions. I can also pick up samples in NC, SC, VA and other states not too far from NC. I could also possibly visit with those with live snakes (who live near me or near someplace I’ll be this spring/summer) and measure/photograph the snakes myself.



Ideally, I’ll get 100+ individuals from throughout the range for the DNA analysis.



Timeframe for these samples: The sooner the better is best for me, but I would like to have all the samples that are going into this analysis in hand by the end of October. Thanks for any and all help with this project.



George R. Harper

Dept. of Biology

CB#3280, Coker Hall

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280

(919) 962-3595 (Lab)

(919) 962-1625 (Fax)

(919) 302-5838 (Cell)


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