Permission has been obtained in advance from kingsnake.com staff to post this educational research request.
Part III of III: Another part of my Ph.D. work is looking at the genetics and evolution of color patterns in Lampropeltine snakes. This work requires data from controlled matings for various components of the color and/or pattern. (For example, breedings that produce snakes with no black or no red. Or, breedings that produce stripes instead of rings.) Data are also needed on conditions used to hatch the eggs and what subsequent colors/patterns were produced.
I know that most breeders may be sensitive about their breeding data. I can only assure you that I will not share specific breeding info from any breeder, but will disassociate the data from the breeder prior to using the data. In other words, what you do will not be shared with anyone. What will be shared is what you got and what that tells us about the genetics of pattern and color in these snakes.
I am very interested in collaborating on this project rather than just taking your data and just putting my name on the paper. If you prefer to just share your data and not be involved in the rest of the process, that is great as well. All collaborators will share authorship on papers that come from this work.
Data from as many of the Lampropeltis spp. as possible would be ideal as would data on as many pattern/color variations as possible.
If you are a breeder and have produced Lampropeltis spp. with pattern/color variations and have data that you are willing to share, or you want to collaborate rather than just supply data, please contact me.
Timeframe for this project: No specified time frame. Sooner is almost always better than later though. I’d like to begin writing this project up within the next year if possible. Thanks for any and all help with this project.
George R. Harper
Dept. of Biology
CB#3280, Coker Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
(919) 962-3595 (Lab)
(919) 962-1625 (Fax)
(919) 302-5838 (Cell)
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