Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I received this girl as a trinket, but she looks like a cross between helena and another Elaphe? Anyone got an educated guess??

Thanks,
Kat

Kat:
This is just my opinion. I am not an expert on helena or any of that family or even on corn snakes. So take this for what it's worth.

Trinkets are related to radiata, subradiata, erythrura and flavolineata (they've been given their own genus Coelognathus).
If it was a hybrid of this group it would resemble that group. I don't think it looks like that. One thing that would help to identify members of that family is the ability to flatten the throat vertically (sort of opposite to the way a hognose flatens it's neck). Radiata are especially well known for performing this kind of threat display. So if it exhibited this kind of behavior it would tend to indicate membership in Coelognathus.

Other ratsnakes are kind of distantly related so I wouldn't expect much chance of hybridization. But of course anything is possible.

But is there a chance that it is a striped corn snake of some kind?

Regards
John

I orginally thought corn, as well. Part of the problem lies in the undivided anal plate of this girl. All the corns I've had had divided anal plates, so I'm not sure what the morphology involves.

cheers,
Kat

As it happens, an undivided anal plate is only present in a very few ratsnakes. The Coelognathus group happens to be the great majority of those few species. The only other ratsnakes that even sometimes have an undivided anal plate are cantoris (unknown in the hobby), quadrivirgata (possible) and taeniura (possible). I haven't worked with either taeniura or quadrivirgata but if I was going to guess I'd say it's not taeniura. Quadrivirgata is possible. And even a quadrivirgata/guttata hybrid is possible. I've heard of guttata/climacophora hybrids. It would be interesting if any corn snake experts had heard of a corn snake line or cross that had an undivided anal plate.

Anyway Kat, if you want to pursue this further I can post scale counts for the different species and you could key it out.

Good luck
John

the head markings may seem a bit atypical....but i'd still say it's all corn snake-anerythristic(no red pigment) striped phase corn snake to be exact.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

Doesn't look like a trinket to me at all. The color and especially the pattern remind me a lot of the striped phase Elaphe climacophora. The head on the other hand looks more like some kind of Pantherophis. Recently I have heard of Elaphe climacophora x Pantherophis guttatus hybrids offered for sale. Perhaps it could be one of those?

Just looking at the photo and noting the size of the snake, and the stripes, I don't think it is a member of the genus Elaphe at all. Try posting the photo on the Racer forum.

Could it be an E. dione?
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/ Andreas