Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that the striped phase is a locality, but how do the genetics behind it work? What would happen if you bred a stripe to a spotted phase, would you just produce a bunch of hets, or would they all look like locality crosses? We're not necessarily planning on it, just curious.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

One of the nice things about E. situla are the two pattern morphs, as well as the locality morphs. Although they have a rather small range it is quite diverse with all the Meditteranean islands and several countries. They are adapted to a unique Meditteranean climate also. They probably estivate a lot during the summer. Anyway, the two morphs can pop up in any population I believe, with some localities favoring one pattern and some the other. I'm not sure how they vary by locality, but I do believe it's possible to get striped and blotched in the same clutch from most localities. We hatched out a clutch of four from Croatian parentage and got two striped and two blotched last summer. Of course, one parent was striped and one blotched. If both parents are blotched, I believe you would get all blotched babies.

This is an interesting topic and I hope breeders document their results and also pursue more of the localities. I'd love to be able to say I have leopard rats from a certain island, or from Greece, or from Turkey, etc.

Photo is of a pair of our babies from 2003.

TC/Ratsnake Haven Gallery

Hi
Striped situla occurs in many populations, but mainly in Greek or Turkish populations. Only on a few island they are majority of animals, and they are rare in nature compared to the blotched form. Breeding them together striped / blotched results in ½/½ but in my place the striped ones are always males. I newer had a striped juvenile from blotched parents even the grandparents were striped. 2 Striped produces nearly always striped but blotched can occur. In 1981 I got a blotched and striped male, but all his offsprings were blotched. Now 22 years and 4 generations later I suddently got 2 females that are striped but also has blotches.
All my striped ones are from Greece some from Peleponnes and some from Milos. All youguslavien animals I have seen are blotched, but there are striped there also. Actualy I think that the youguslavian animals has the same look. Pretty yes but they lack the differences of the Greek or Turkish animals.
This is my experience, breeding only about 200 animals mainly Greek during the years, and hardly enough to a real guidence on their genetic coloration problem
Best wishes
Søe
Reptilia-Denmark

In Italy there are blotched and striped,
the friend author of these pics said me that striped and blotched share the same places, that there are more striped then blotched near bari (puglia) and that is enough common as snake.
Happy new year to all
nazzza

REPTItaLIA

Those are beautiful snakes from Italy, Nazza. Happy New Years to you too. Terry.

Hi, Soe. Thanks for the nice info. I like working on islands and look forward to getting situla from one of the Greek islands someday. I know Milos is an island, but is Peleponnes an island or a peninsula of Greece? Schulz, in his monograph, said that leopard snakes from Crete can also be amelanistic, melanistic, or anerythristic. I’d sure like to work with some situla from Crete. Have you seen any from there?

TC

Hi
Yes It is true that there has been found special color forms on the eastern side of Crete.
There are pure Crete animals here in Denmark, but not for sale for some years.
Peleponnes is a peninsula
Best wisehs
Søe

Hi Terry

Will be happy to post some photos of my Crete animals for you when the hibernation is over. Really nice animals, look quite different in coloration from my "yugoslavian" animals.
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Regards

Jan Grathwohl

Thanks, Jan. Look forward to it :O)

TC

No problem Terry... also really look forward to bringing to breed hopefully.
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Regards

Jan Grathwohl

Thanks for the info, and sweet pics too!
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?