Posted by:
Rich G.cascabel
at Sun Apr 10 11:59:45 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Rich G.cascabel ]
but they are abyssus plain and simple. Viridis doesn't occur at all on this side of the river, and where it does occur with the "oreganus" forms such as with the abyssus/concolor snakes on the east bank, or in the southrim country where it is sympatric with abyssus it always maintains it's identity. On the west bank where this pic was taken both abyssus and lutosus occur sympatrically but maintain their identities as separate species, with abyssus being far more common. Although lutosus is the parent taxa of abyssus it appears in this case that the already diverged abyssus migrated east then north to meet up with lutosus again. They are distinct genetically (Douglas et.al have redone all the previous samples and over a thousand new samples using both mtDNA AND nuclear DNA)and morphologically and they keep separate denning areas although their summer foraging ranges will bring them into contact. With time I will probably find they are different socially also. Lutosus are known for being communal much like the northern oreganus forms or C. cerberus. From what I have observed at my abyssus densites both here and in the southrim country, abyssus are loners. Even when using the same hibernacula the snakes remain separate. I have walked along and found six or seven in a distance of only twenty feet but yet they tend to keep at least five or six feet in between them. I have never found two abyssus together in the wild. Usually you will find some 5-10 snakes in the space of a couple hundred yards. Then to make things even more confusing, two forms of "oreganus" (abyssus and concolor) apparently intergrade as the snakes there show both haplotypes.
Same in the southrim country. The viridis there are MUCH more common and tend to take on odd, often abyssus like characteristics due to sharing the same niche. But the DNA is very distinct, there is no sign of hybridization/intergradation and they also keep separate hibernacula. As I have observed further north, the viridis are very communal at their denning areas, the abyssus are loners.
As for coloring, even within the Canyon proper the most common color is tan. I think abyssus is just as variable as mitchelli. I have seen off-white, tan, brown, yellow, gray and pink snakes all at the same denning area. In places within the canyon and along the rims they can be almost black. Then there are the Utah snakes.They are crazy! 
Hope lifes treating ya good!,
Cheers,
Rich
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Thanks JG...... - Rich G.cascabel, Sun Apr 10 11:59:45 2005