Frosted Ghost?

[Invictus]

Hey all,

Just thought I'd share a picture of Kitiara, a gorgeous and HUGE ghost corn snake I got from Mark IsBell. As she grows, a really interesting thing is happening to her saddles - they are getting these fades that resemble a frosted creamsicle corn... except that she is very much a ghost:

[Invictus]

Just thought I'd add - she doesn't look "huge" in and of herself, but when you consider that she's only about 6 months old, believe me... she's a big girl. She dwarfs all the other baby corns I have.

[Simon]

LOL
nice addition!!!
lovely ghost~
and yes you are really starting to get a nice collection of corn snakes~~~~

and she's 6 months old and she's huge!!!
My 6 month olds are still like hatchlings....hahaha
that is a great big fat ghost you have there!

[Invictus]

Thanks Simon. My corns are all very healthy, and pounding back fuzzies like they are going out of style, but this girl in particular just amazes us with her size! She was selected from among the offspring of some GREAT breeding stock though - Mark's adult ghosts are some of the nicest I've ever seen.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Wicked looking ghost guys.

[vanderkm]

Very pretty ghost - I will have to post some photos of her siblings I have. Which of Mark's females is she from - Beauty or Little Girl? Looks like there is some yellow starting on her chin as well. Our male and one female are just beginning tot get some on their necks - very pretty. Do you see much color difference in your male and female ghosts - ours are quite a bit different in amount of pink tones (boy has a lot more pink). They are beautiful snakes and we are really happy with the ones we got from Mark.

I believe the fading of the centre of the saddles is quite common in many color forms of cornsnakes without the influence of grey ratsnake hybridization that is usually designated by 'frosted' terms. I often don't see much difference between 'frosted' and regular corns in terms of color shading or frosting and think the term is often included to let people know they are buying a hybrid in the same way as 'creamsicle' is used for great plains rats intergrades. Hard to get much information on the corn intergrades and hybrids -

Regardless - very nice ghost, glad she is doing so well for you and thanks for sharing photo,

mary v.

[Katt]

I have heard and must agree, that the ghost morph is somewhat sexually dimorphic. The males tend towards much nicer colour. I'll post mine and show the huge difference I've seen.

[Invictus]

I have totally seen a difference in my little Ghost colony. I have 2.1, and the males are starting to get their fleshy tones in between saddles, whereas the female is still quite grey.

Mary - I don't remember for the life of me which female my little Kitiara was from. I know it was a Ghost/Ghost breeding, and was NOT the Ghost/Ghost clutch that yielded the snows. So, whichever one didn't have snow babies was this girl's clutch. Also, I'm aware that "frosted" usually implies the ratsnake hybrid, but I've seen it used to describe pattern before, and I was merely alluding that my ghost's pattern is similar.

[MouseKilla]

Ghosts are hypoamel and anery right? Still trying to sort all the names out. I have a snow but get ghost and blizzard mixed up when it comes to what traits they show (or don't as the case may be).

[Invictus]

Yes, Ghosts are Anery (no red) and hypomelanistic (reduced black). Blizzards are Anerythristic and Amelanistic, and hypo-xanthic. Some blizzards have flecks of yellow, but have no red or black pigment.

[MouseKilla]

So blizzards are only different from snows in that they are hypoxanthic explaining their appearent lack of pattern in comparison? Is that the same as anery type B(plus amel of course) or am I lost? What I'm trying to understand also is why this wouldn't be called just amel/anery/hypoxan. all these bloody names are just confusing and don't tell you what traits, as I said, are being shown or inhibited.

[vanderkm]

Blizzards are homozygous for both amelanism and Anery B (charcoal corn) and Snows are homozygous for both amelanism and Anery A (the more usual black and white corn). Anery A and B are inherited independently of each other so are not directly related or linked. Typically Anery B has less expression of yellow but it is not completely eliminated. Our blizzard corn has quite a bit of yellow outlining his saddles and some people market this variety as a 'lemon peel blizzard' - anything to coin a new name!

As Invictus indicates, ghosts are homozygous for hypomelanism and Anery A. When Anery B is combined with hypomelanism I believe it produces a Phantom - I think Simon has some of those.

Just to complicate things, it is becoming clear that there are a bunch of different hypo genes in corns, just as there are different anerys - so ghosts may be made up of different hypos with anery A and phantoms may be different hypos with anery B.

The names of morphs really are confusing and there is a lot of inconsistency with people developing new names for morphs that are already well established. Many of the corn breeders who first developed the lines are being suprised even now (with the hypo thing) so there is still tons to sort out with corn genetics. Much of what makes them so much fun to work with!

mary v.

[MouseKilla]

Is Anery B associated with axanthism? Is that why blizzards have less yellow than a snow? This stuff is so confusing. I imagine I'll spend the next several years reading and annoying people with dumb questions until I'm satisfied with what I know. Then I will create blasphemous freak snakes and sell them to the highest bidder! HA HA HA! Then we'll see who gets to make up the stupid names!

[Invictus]

According to Kathy Love, you're correct - the difference between Anery A and Anery B is that Anery B also includes Axanthism.

[vanderkm]

I want to be first on your waiting list for 'blasphemous freak' corns! Sounds like a must have color phase!!

mary v.