Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I did a quick archive search and did not find anything so allow me to post this question: Do high incubation temperatures reduce the black pigmentation in king snakes?
I have read that this happens in leopard geckoes but would like to know whether it has been documented or is common knowledge in king snake breeding. The results that a friend and I have obtained with calkings, pyromelana and zonata suggest that those incubated at 30C have reduced black compared to those hatched at 28C. Further higher temperatures start to cause kinked tails and other malformations although pigementation is even more reduced.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Shin Sugiyama

This may be the case as far as the immediate color of the hatchling goes, but I think in the long run, the color will be the same as that of a hatchling incubated at lower temps. Higher temps cause the embryo to grow at a faster rate which could explain the reduction of melanin at the time of pipping. Babies that aren't fully developed look extremely light compared to those that go "their" full term, and not all hatchlings develope at the same rate.......even within the same clutch. Good discussion.

Brandon Osborne

The comparisons are between different years, but the young seem to retain their reduced pigmentation after 2 years in my case. More specifically, the area of black is reduced but its intesity is not. The pigment cells originate in a dorsal region of the early embryo called the neural crest and migrate laterally. A possible explanation is that the migration or proliferation of these cells is inhibited by high temperatures, but this is just wild speculation.

>>The results that a friend and I have obtained ...

what's the sample size in those results? are we talking a pair or two of each of those species? Or ten pairs or more of each? Also, are your results from this year only, or prior years? And if the latter, did the animals darken up with time as brandon suspects?

always good to throw hypotheses out there, never know what we'll discover. Keep in mind though that even if the leopard gecko effect is true (have you posted on THAT forum to find out if it's generally accepted?) that incubation temps determine gender on some reptiles too, but not, apparently, with snakes.

terry

Thanks for your interest. These are just causual observations and not results from formal experiments. The comparisons are between different years with the same parents. The sample size is 2 calking pairs, 1 zonata pair, 1 male 2 female pyromelana. The extent of reduction of the black area is very subjective, but enough for most
king snake fans to appreciate. They seem to retain their condition over the years.
I was hoping that others had had similar experiences since there are so many breeders and the conditions I state are not very extreme.

Were those incubation temperatures constant 24 hr per day or daily highs from a day=high, night = low temperature cycle? I've used a day/night temperature cycle in corn snakes and bullsnakes and not noticed any change from normal in color or bone growth.

Paul Hollander

The temperatures were at constant setting with day-night fluctuations within 1 degree centigrade or so in my case. I beleive my friend does the same.

to find out whether the reduced black pigmentation involves the sex cells, and carries through to the next generation.

could be wrong though...havne't raised them in about 5 years or more.