Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted to share a pic of a newly acquired female Southern Plains Ratsnake. It is a wild caught specimen from Nueces Co., TX.
Thanks for looking.
-John Lassiter-

Here is a head shot:

-John Lassiter-

Southern Plains Ratsnake (Nueces Co. TX meahllmorum)

Nice looking critter. I always wondered why they get so little attention.

I agree they are nice. I have been catching these since I was 8 or so here in South Texas. They are very hardy snakes that grow quickly, never miss a meal and are somewhat variable in appearance. They also are the main ingredient in the Creamsicle corn projects.

Last year they did get some noted attention and were re-classified in certain areas. I believe these specimens I have been foolin around with for 25 years are actually the Meahllmorum ssp. Farther north of my Nueces Co., TX location the Slowinskii ssp (Gutatta) is found maybe as close as Calhoun Co.,TX. I am sure KJ can elaborate on this if needed, if he is still around.

Thanks,
-John Lassiter-

Nice pics, John.

Here's one I posted recently on the Corn Forum. She's CB from Hebronville stock (s. TX) to the west of you, where they have a tendency for the pattern to break up and start to form stripes...

I think the hobby is starting to look much harder at the Great Plains Rat last few years, with new mutations like hypo and amel popping up, localities, and several folks starting new projects like creamsicles and cinnamons with locality GPR's.

The Nueces Co. meahllmorum should produce some nice creamsicles. They have a great pattern and light background. Can't wait to see them.

Wish I could stay longer, but work calls. Back later.

TC

Nice little striped one you got there Terry. Hebronville is also more south of me than west. It is right on the Mexico border.
I will send out pics when the creams hatch out. I too am glad these Southern plains rats are getting some attention along with their morphs and relative species.
-John Lassiter-

>>Nice little striped one you got there Terry. Hebronville is also more south of me than west. It is right on the Mexico border.
>>I will send out pics when the creams hatch out. I too am glad these Southern plains rats are getting some attention along with their morphs and relative species.
>>-John Lassiter-

Thanks, John. I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't check my map, dernit! I figure I'll be working with the western-most morphs the most once I start spending some time in West TX (probably an intergrade form there). I like the meahllmorum subspecies a lot too. I wonder what the range is in Mexico too, and what they look like, if they're much like the s. TX forms?

There's several people starting to work with meahllmorum from s. TX, but I still don't know much about their natural history and captive mgt. Mine seem to be a little sensitive to cooling, so I haven't been brumating them. Have you noticed any lack of hardiness that way?

Thanks....TC

Very nice female John. I have a female on loan from Dave Powell that came from you I hope to breed to a meahllmorum male I got from KJ. I tried breeding them last season, but I think the female waw a little young. They should go this year. Dave was heavy on females so I have 2 females on loan from him that I will be breeding to a couple males I have.

Terry Parks

You guys have to send me some pics when they hatch. I may want some babies from those '03 Nueces Co. rats I sent to Dave.
A few of those I sent to Dave Powell were from some wild collected eggs in Nueces Co. Others were from a breeding I did with some wild collected specimens. Out of the 13 that were hatched from my adult pair most resembled meahllmorum (with lower band count and white ventrals) others resembled Emoryi with higher band counts and dark ventral scales. From the wild collected eggs all hatchlings fit the meahllmorum "criteria". I do not know if there is an intergration zone in the Northern part of this county or if meahllmorum are slightly variable that way.
What do you guys think?
-John Lassiter-

>>You guys have to send me some pics when they hatch. I may want some babies from those '03 Nueces Co. rats I sent to Dave.

Will do.

>>A few of those I sent to Dave Powell were from some wild collected eggs in Nueces Co. Others were from a breeding I did with some wild collected specimens. Out of the 13 that were hatched from my adult pair most resembled meahllmorum (with lower band count and white ventrals) others resembled Emoryi with higher band counts and dark ventral scales. From the wild collected eggs all hatchlings fit the meahllmorum "criteria". I do not know if there is an intergration zone in the Northern part of this county or if meahllmorum are slightly variable that way.
>>What do you guys think?
>>-John Lassiter-

John, I think meahllmorum is near the intergradation zone with emoryi, but a little south of that. It is definitely near the intergradation zone with slowinskii (TX corn), north of Port Lavaca along the coast, at least according to KJ's distribution map. I think, if anything, they would have some slowinskii influence. Meahllmorum is somewhat variable, but not that much is known, as they haven't had that much attention, until now. But there is probably stuff happening in northern Nueces Co. Keep us posted on what you find there. Great opportunity.

How 'bout some pics of the babies you hatched from Nueces? Back to work now

TC

This snake was sold to me as a Brazos Island ratsnake, but according to Gus R., it isn't nearly as nice as typical Brazos Is. They should be lighter colored, with more extreme H-shaped blotches...

John -
Here'a a pic Dave Powell sent me before I got the 2 females on loan. I'll take a couple new pics of the Nueces County meahllmorums I have. I'm sure some of this season's meahllmorum babies can be shared with you John. One of the captive breeding priorities is to get outcrossed and/or unrelated meahllmorum bloodlines into other meahllmorum breeder's hands. Nicer phenotypes and good captive bloodlines should be one of the results of loaning and/or trading.
In the 03' breeding season a pair of Brazos Island rat snakes had 2 clutches. The pair wasn't put back together after the first clutch. the female double clutched that year. The same male and female most likely parented both clutches the same year without another copulation. The second clutch was incubated at a different temperature. The dorsal patterns of the two clutches are noticeably different and the ventral patterns vary from checkerboarding in one cltuch to almost none in the other clutch. The breeder had heard or read something about the variability of the ventral pattern in Brazos Island rat snakes possibly being linked to varying temperatures in the egg nest habitat on Brazos Island. He thought he could try varying the incubation temperature with the opportunity the double ckutch provided.

Terry Parks

HEY!!
Those are them!
nice snakes, wish I had em still, but I'll make more. LOL!!!
Later,
-John Lassiter-

Very cool snake. At a glance, I can't believe how similar they are in coloration appearance to Western Fox Snakes. Head shape is markedly diferent. I'm a fan of fox snakes but now a rat fan also.

Enjoyed the photos
Vulpy

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