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I've heard various remarks/comments/ideas that incubation temperatures can effect/alter what is considered the holotype for a given subspecies of milk snake. I've tried hunting up articles on the subject but with little result... so what's the opinions/experiences of those of you with years of breeding experience behind you on the subject?

The included photo illustrating this point is one of my sons recent hatchling Black Milks... disregarding the obvious stripping I'm more curious about the white spot just above the nasal band. I've noticed this spot often on milks with an aberrant pattern. The spot is not typical for any of the subspecies of milks shown in Williams book, so... enlighten me if you will... do higher or lower incubation temps allow for such things?

I've have played with temps and I have came to the conclusion that it's a myth with colubrids.
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I'm not sure how you got to that conclusion about me because I'm not the boogieman................. I'm real.

www.hognosefarm.com

This is a topic for Mitch Mulks (ZonataHunt) and is part of his graduate research platform. As such, he'd be a much better one to discuss this than I and would have a lot more evidence backing his hypotheses.

That said, I incubated at a considerably lower temperature (76-77F) than usual (80-82F) and noticed some phenomenal head patterns in my hatchlings - some considerably different than "normal" for their given form. I hatched one gentilis that keyed out as stuarti by Williams' key (though, obviously, it wasn't). Incubation also took considerably longer than usual. Where the nifty patterns due to the lower incubation temperatures? Maybe.

Pennington County, SD stock multistrata

A more normal clutchmate

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-Cole

Sometimes what you learn about the players is so much more interesting than any answers to the question... thanks as always Cole, here's hoping ZonataHunt chimes in on the subject... that way I learn two interesting things.

Gerry

I have always been told and believed that temps too low can and will cause pattern variances...ie: striping in banded snakes....

I have seen striped boas in 1989....not genetic...but cool striped....more than one....I have seen pics of burms I think the same...striped due to temps...

.....I have hatched colubrid eggs at temps too high...and I have had screwed up patterns those years...and in those clutches....so...yes...I believe....

....noone actually did it over and over I don't think to prove it many many times ......my temps would go from too low to too high all the time....(76 to 88)...

and how low is too low?...causing death in the eggs?....

.....
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........JY

All of my clutches of Hondos are split about 50/50 (within each clutch) between perfect patterns and aberrants. I incubate mine in a warm closet that ranges from 78-84 degrees during the summer.
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