Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Sorry for the mix-up. Here's the pic. It looks even a little more red in the original photo. This is a photo of a photo.
I thought it was a pretty interesting looking BT. Anybody seen one like it before?
Chris

.

is it a erbennus/melanurus cross?

No banding would seem to mitigate against an errebennus in the woodshed...

Is this just a very young animal going thru a "color" phase?? Hard to make out from this picture, but I think I would bet on it being a unicolor or Uni/BT intergrade...Sure is pretty...

Anybody ever seen a "margaritae"???
-----
Carl W Gossett
Garage Door Herps
Monument,Colorado...northern territory of the Great Republic of Texas

Jurgen Schultz has told me many months ago that he has a pic...but I think he was holding back until his book is published. That's the only pic I've even heard of. I wonder if that sub even still exists...or if it ever did. (Island specimens of corais corais maybe?)That's why I'd love to see the pic...

Haven't heard from Jurgen in a while. CG, do you know if he's still working on his book?

PS...

I bet that burgundy snake is either a melanurus / erebennus or melanurus / rubidis integrade.

Of course melanurus has also been documented to integrade with orizbensis...so...who knows. I know I'm going to sound like a geek here, but I'd love to get scale counts!

it's definitely not a uni or a uni/melanurus cross....that would be a brown tail. that 'burgandy' color is borrowed most likely from a texas indigo. they inter-breed freely where their ranges overlap in mexico and tend to look like that although i've never seen one that red before. this cross was recently referred to as the 'blonde headed' texas indigo by daniel's den in an earlier post i believe. i strongly suspect that this particular animal is simply carrying more of the red gene than normally associated w/ this cross.

Come on..Let's "analize" this better

Animal has side slashes: Has to be Uni or BT genes

No banding: Doubt errebennus seriously!! The red of TXN is facial and throat anyway, not on the dorsum...Also, TXN's have LOTS of other color thru out their bodies..

Rubidus??? They're solid white throat and bellies for the most part and their "red-tail" is not a "red-body"

In the last month we've had at least 2 post of different coloration BT's, green and something else, I forget what else..

The only 2 subs with solid coloration, by that I mean, no "speckling", "banding", etc are BT and Uni...Yes there is a color change in both but it is gradual and uniform in both...

This is probably just a great color phase of one of the BT/Uni variety...Or a new sub!

Now give me a minute to get into bullet proof gear!!! CG

-----
Carl W Gossett
Garage Door Herps
Monument,Colorado...northern territory of the Great Republic of Texas

actually carl, you won't need it. i make it a habit not to get in scrapes w/ guys twice my size....anymore. lucky you huh? lol! instead, i'll send you a pic soon and see if you can tell me what it is. if you argue w/ me after that.....i'm coming out there! you've been warned..........;-]

-----
Carl W Gossett
Garage Door Herps
Monument,Colorado...northern territory of the Great Republic of Texas

You are right, the picture in the book looks more like a dark burgandy wine.
The face and head structure on that snake looks like a YT Cribo.

Dr. Julian Lee is a professor at the University of Miami. He authored the book and took the photograph of this specimen so hopefully he'll be able to shed some light on what it is.
I asked him if he recalled the locality where it was found and asked him his thoughts on whether it was an intergrade w/ unicolor, melanurus, rubidus or just an unusually colored melanurus.
If he replies to my email, I'll let you guys know what he thinks about it.
Chris

Down the forum a ways I asked about intergrades because my blacktail female is dark all over, pretty much like that picture. I had a male that was a clutchmate and he looked pretty normal.

Does your's have the reddish / burgandy color like this one does? If so, post some pics please!
Chris