Plethodon cinreus genetics Q

[snakehunter]

I am a volounteer for a study focusing on the affects of certain forestry practices on plethodon species. The most common mander we run into is the redback. I have known that redbacks come in two forms, redback and leadback. Just recently behind my university's stadium in about a 3 acre plot (completely surrounded by develpoment on all sides) that almost half ifnot more have the redback stripe, but it is a cream or almost white, on had sucha cream color it look almost green.

Does anyne know the genetic dominance of anyof the traits (leadback and 'cream'back) I had a wild hair that i might colect a few, and study the inheritance of the trait, but the ones i found where HUGE and obviously breeders, and i would hate to disrupt the population. SO does anyone have any clue?
thanx
-Jacob

[wetlander]

I don't there is a "cream phase" though I might be wrong. I think what you are seeing is just colour variation (Light to dark redback) just as you can see some variation in many species.

Check out this link. It shows a much lighter stripe on the redback phase'

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/barbara_lundrigan/pcd4614_028.jpg/view.html

Doug

[snakehunter]

I spoke to the project manager about the phases and he said there are a few. Like i stated above: lead back; redback; and the cream back. You may be right as far as a lighter red, but if you saw these guys in person you might say other wise.

[mrcanada21]

got any pics to share??

Russ

[snakehunter]

Not yet. Ill see if I can sneak out behind the stadium tonight and snap a few.

[John White]

The most common color phases of P. cinereus we find in N.VA are the lead-backed or non-striped, the red-backed and the yellow-backed. A creamed color specimen is somewhat unusual.
http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/imgs/512x768/0000_0000/1104/0005.jpeg

John
Virginia Herpetological Society - http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/