SMR Archive

If you expected to see beautifully diffused corns with saturated red/rust/mahogany colors, click here ^_____> Bloodred Corn Snaketo see the enhanced version of this color mutation.

A few years ago, due to confusion regarding the heritability of the Bloodred’s base mutation (namely that the namesake snakes were not red and/or diffused), the base mutation name was changed away from Bloodred – to Diffused.  The mechanics of this gene mutation barely diffuse the F¹ homozygotesthrough maturity (if at all), so do not expect Diffused corns to look like Bloodreds.  It is currently believed that Bloodred corns are the product of enhancing the base mutation via polygenetic trait modification (selective breeding) to render a red and almost pattern-less (highly diffused) corn snake.  That is not the opinion of this author, but in the absence of empirical evidence to the contrary, the best hobby and market interests are not served by published opposition to popular opinion.  In other words, I’m not in favor of changing the morph name away from the original Bloodred since the new name Diffused is equally incorrect.  Without polygenetic modification, Diffused corns are not diffused.

Brief history on Diffused mutants VS Bloodred mutants:

What to expect:
As neonates, Diffused corns are often heavily patterned, most of them exhibiting black (or partially black) scales bordering some of the pattern blotches, and most of them have some degree of black belly checkering (something I have NEVER seen on good Bloodreds).  Head patterns are highly variable, but exactly like wild-type corns.

Some Diffused corns may exhibit slight diffusion throughout maturation, but unlike their prestigious BLOODRED cousins, every Diffused adult I’ve seen displayed prominent markings (head, body, and belly).  Many of the early Diffused corns over ten years ago were overly inbred and therefore suffered poor fertility (not to mention – the progeny of many of the first generations were stubbornly lizard lovers – refusing to eat pinky mice).  Thankfully, through out-crossing in our projects to improve or change colors and patterns, Diffused and Bloodred corns no longer rank high in either of those categories;  low ferility or reluctance to eat rodents.   In fact, there are some seasons in which Diffused and Bloodred corns are among the best feeding of our corn snake neonates.

General Note:
While most of the snakes we produce will mature to resemble the featured adult image(s) on our web site, unlike manufactured products that are respectively identical to each other, the nature of polygenic variation results in no two specimens being exactly the same.  The snake we select for you may not mature to be identical to the pictured examples, but will be chosen based on our experience of observing which neonates will mature to properly represent their respective morph.  We take this responsibility very seriously, and therefore publish the guarantee that we will replace your SMR snake if it does not mature to be like our advertised examples.

Go to History for more details about the DIFFUSED / BLOODRED base mutation of this compound morph.

In 1997, we acquired a Bloodred female from an unknown corn snake breeder that had a few lateral patches ofwhite.  We bred her to one or two males over the next six years, but never reproduced the white patches, nor did we hold back any of her sons to breed back to her.  In 2003, she was bred to a male Bloodred that has considerably more white on his sides, but no white was demonstrated in any of the F¹ progeny.  Upon breeding two pairs of the F¹ babies together, approximately 50% of the F²s demonstrated various degrees of white on their sides.  Also, when breeding one of the F¹males back to the SMR original female, 50% of those progeny also had various degrees of lateral white patches.  This demonstrated that the SMR P/S Bloodreds were not alleles of the original male Bloodred gene that had similar random lateral white patches. 

At this time – in my opinion – insufficient data has been gathered to determine that P/S Bloodreds owe their atypical white lateral and facial markings to a gene mutation.  It is remotely possible that polygenetic traits are responsible for the atypical patches of white on the face and sides, based on confusing phenotypes.  While evaluation of Mendelian Phenotype Proportions points to the likelihood of a gene mutation, that cannot be definitely proclaimed at this time.

It is sometimes difficult to determine the inheritance of a trait or mutation when expression of the atypical feature is highly variable – as is the case with SMR P/S Bloodreds.  In other words, are the Bloodred siblings of P/S Bloodreds that lack lateral patches of white not P/S Bloodreds OR are they P/S Bloodred mutants that are at the lowest end of the 0-to-10 scale for white expression?  When proving the mode of inheritance via evaluation of Mendelian Phenotype Proportions in a single brood of snakes, visual expression is crucial.  Hence, if the expression of white in this morph can be so extremely variable, when citing the ratio of visual mutants compared to visual non mutants, the very description of inheritance can be in question.  I therefore honestly don’t know if P/S Bloodreds owe their distinctive pied-sided white appearance to a recessive mutation OR polygenic trait modifications. Breeding trials are constantly being evaluated.  The snag in this determination is the fact that there are many siblings of the P/S Bloodreds that lack white, but have the remarkably red sides that are devoid of markings (a virtually distinct collateral trait of SMR P/S Bloodreds).  This particular trait is not foreign to the base mutation, Bloodred, but in P/S Bloodred phenotypes, expression of this shocking red trait is definitely exaggerated, compared to non P/S Bloodreds in the hobby.  Hence, the question again, “are these non P/S Bloodred siblings of those with white, P/S bloods that are exhibiting no white OR is there an associative phenotype that exaggerates the red sides, even if they don’t exhibit lateral white?”.  Some have suggested that the lack of color in places (i.e. white patches) is an extreme expression of the genetic elimination of melanin/markings.  That perhaps the genetic erradication of markings – when expressed in its’ extreme – may eliminate not only the melanin, but the other chromatophore as well?

Aside from the random lateral white feature that is obvious in most members of this morph – compared to standard Bloodreds – is the extreme diffusion – even if they don’t demonstrate any of the randomly distributed white patches on the sides.  On most – even in the absence of lateral white patches – there is an obvious line of demarcation between the dorsal and lateral pattern fields – just above the half-way point on the sides (dorso–laterally).  This stark break line between dorsal and lateral markings also begs questions about the lateral white being a mutation OR variable expression of polygenetics. 

Go to History for more details about the DIFFUSED / BLOODRED base mutation of this compound morph.

This compound morph results from combining the color mutation, Amel with the pattern mutation Diffused.  As with most morph compounds that include the Diffused mutation, the Fire mutation‘s color affect is generally more diffused than a typical Amel corn, but nothing compared to Cayenne Fire mutants that possess the additional Red Mask mutation. Except for some of the color and pattern variants of this mutation compound, Fires arguably have much less color contrast than typical Amels and generally redder coloration. Expect dramatically reduced white margins, compared to most non-pattern Amel type mutants. 

What to expect:
Many Fire hatchlings look like little more than regular Amel Corns, but the head should have some form of Bloodred head pattern, and the belly will be devoid of classic Amel Corn snake white & off-white checkering.  The belly pattern can have colors – and even pattern – but not organized checkering.  From a short distance, adults appear to be completely red or red/orange, but upon closer examination, most have a faint blotch pattern, and some will have minute traces of white on the scales around the posterior-most dorsal markings.