Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone.

I found this to be extremely interesting, especially in light of the recent discussion about the Lockwood/Seib ghost project. I need to see if the researches have published anything in any scientific papers, to get additional data.

The appearance of the WW animals produced via parthenogenesis leads some support to one of my theories behind the two anery anomalies produced by the Lockwood/Seib ghost project.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9139000/9139971.stm

PS, my apologies to anyone who has been trying to get a hold of me the past month. I've been spending night and day in the lab trying to get some a data together for a grant review and have essentially moved into the lab for the past month.

Here's a link to the scientific paper

http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/10/21/rsbl.2010.0793.full

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the interest in my research. I am glad you found the paper. I am getting ready to submit a second parthengenesis paper regarding a different species, and have samples from a rainbow boa that potentially dropped a parthenogenetic litter also. I am also testing samples from a possible sexual/asexual litter where a fraction were potentially produced each way.

Feel free to drop me an email with any questions. I rarely look at the rainbow boa forum.

Warren
-----
Dr Warren Booth / Director USARK
North Carolina State University
Department of Entomology

This could explain the appearance of the two anerys in 2006 and also the anery and two ghosts in 2010. I am almost certain that I have had a female BRB give birth without being exposed to a male.

However, the 2006 and 2010 clutches were fairly evenly mixed between males and females. Is is possible that a snake could give birth t a fraction of a clutch through parthogenesis?

In 2011, I will breed the 2006 anery het hypo to one of the 2005 males. If the parthogenesis theory holds, then I should not see any anery or ghost males. correct?
-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com