Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This may be one of those 'duh' questions to those more adept in such knowledge, but I figured that this forum was the proper place to come and ask...

I've recently acquired a very nice Scarlet King that has (as I know is relatively common) white bands rather than the more typical yellow.

Thereby, would this particular variation qualify as Axanthic (by definition, lacking yellow pigment)?

Again, acknowledging that this is perhaps a stupid question, please be kind in your responses.

Thanks!

Trevor

How big is it?

Scarlet kings can/will have white bands instead of yellow until they hit about a foot in length. Also in some localities/states they will keep the white bands all through their lives.
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Mike
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The Scarlet that I am personally referring to is approximately 17 inches long and from Southern FL.

Thereby, if these white banded individuals from an area where yellow banding is more the 'norm' are not cosidered as Axanthics, what then would qualify as such for this particular species?

Is it possible that all of the white banded specimens are indeed Axanthic, and that this has merely a relativelycommonplace aberration in the wild - nothing more?

Again, thanks in advance for any sage input on this matter...

Trevor

Trevor, every sk I have hatched began life with white rings and no yellow. 80% of them were FL animals and many of those from central FL. Some went on to become yellow, apricot, orange, etc. and others stayed white.(northern locales)The range of "color" in the "white" bands is pretty broad.
Anyway, in many milks/kings the yellow (or abscence) seems to be linked with red. The red in axanthics is reduced or changed in some way in "axanthic" specimens I've seen. Often the term anerythristic and axanthic are used to describe the same animal too.
I just don't think having white rings (rather than yellow)would qualify a sk as being axanthic really, but I'm certainly no expert.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

You can double check this but I believe according to Bechtel in reptiles xanthin produces both yellow and red so a true axanthic would lack both the yellow and red.

most of your elapsoides from anywhere other than the southernmost part of their range(e.g. florida) have white bands,not yellow...florida is a poacher's mecca therefore you see the abundance of fl. specimens(yellow bands) for sale on sites such as this one.
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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

yo....are elapsiodes protected in fla???...if dey ain't then i would collect dem , not poach dem......yo...justian gimme a call....

Hey Bob, is your west Texas year over? I got one more trip in me! What did you end up with this year?
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