The way I understand it, and I could be wrong, ist that now with the new DNA evidence there are some serious changes in the pipes! According to the info I have read on Burbrinks findings, the everglades and yellow rat are just color morphs of the same snake. Seems the gray rats found east of the apalachicola river have the same DNA as well. This may be due to intergradation with the yellow in the range overlaps. As this is the case with the gray and black in the grays northern range of TN and KY.

I guess this is why biologists/herpetologists are wanting to do away with ssp all together and go with 3 distinct species!!!

According to DNA tests these 3 "new" species all have distinct DNA, and warrant arriving at 3 distinct species vs. having a species and ssp.

Although I dont agree with it, it may be something getting ready to change. Dont really know what kind of impact all of this will have on different state laws, but we will see.

Quadrivittata, if the new changes go into effect will now fall under Pantherophis alleghaniensis, along with rossalleni and the gray X yellow intergrades east of the apalachicola river.

The current black rats on the eastern board will also fall into that species category!! This also means the greenish as well!!! Dont ask me how they arrived at this conclusion, as I am still scratching my head on that one!!

The small range of the new species Midland ratsnake or Pantherophis spiloides, will encompass east from the Mississippi river to the western banks of the Apalachicola river. This will include the gray, black and gray X black intergrade in that range.

West of the Mississippi, the black and texas rats will now become the Western rat snake or Pantherophis obsoletus.

Brian

>>I always wondered what the criteria were for claiming that something was a subspecies rather than a separate species. For example, what exactly is it that makes o. quadrivatta (is it quadrivattUS now? I'm assuming it is, but correct me if I'm wrong) a subspecies of o. obsoletus? Why couldn't it be quadrivattus quadrivattus? Is it that o. obsoletus has the larger range, or are there DNA tests or something?
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

RACERS
1.0 Eastern Yellow Belly racer "Nightcrawler" (MO locale)

KINGS
1.1 California king snake "Bandit and Moonstar" (Coastal phase)
1.0 Prairie king snake "Bishop" (KY locale)
0.1 Black king snake "Domino" (KY locale)
1.0 Desert Kingsnake "Gambit"
0.1 Florida Kingsnake

MILKS
0.0.1 Eastern Milk snake "Cable" (KY locale)
0.0.1 Eastern/Red milk intergrade "Omega Red" (KY locale)
Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

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