toDAY’s SNAKE of the DAY (Fri. Oct. 19, 2012)
Striped Amel (no aka)
Most Commonly Used Name: Striped Amel
Mode of Genetic Inheritance: Recessive
Type: Double mutation compound (Stripe + Amel)
Combining the two recessive gene mutations, Stripe and Amel result in a beautiful compound mutant with rich colors.
A comparison photograph of a Striped Amel corn and a Striped Amel Motley corn are shown below, so you can see the main distinction between stripes. In this image, you can see that the pattern schemes are essentially reversed. The Striped corn on the left has relatively little pattern zones (striping) relative to overall color and pattern, compared to the striped motley on the right that has very little ground color zone. The Striped Motley on the right essentially has a linear zone of ground coloration between conti
guous dorso–lateral striped markings. The width of ground color zone between the dorso-lateral pattern stripes is the basic way to distinguish between Striped corns and Striped Motley corns. BTW, Stripe and Motley are alleles of the same Chromosomal locus, but Motley is demonstrated as dominant over Stripe.
What to expect:
While most corn snake mutants change dramatically from hatchling to adult, Striped Amels are one of the few that change very little. Their pattern fades with age, but colors get increasingly saturated with age, sometimes resulting in richly colored Albino corns with linear color zones barely separated by markings. Often, the stripes that are so prominent as neonates fade, and in some cases they completely disappear. The junction of the two different color zones remains in the absence of the missing stripes. The final product is one of the most intensely colored corn mutations in the hobby. If not for the black pupils of the Striped Hypo in this image comparative, one would be tempted to say these two corns have virtually identical color.