Anery/Axanthic Brooksi

What is the difference, if any between anery and axanthic Brooksi kingsnakes? I have been looking for information on anery Brooksi's and have found very little reference and no pictures. Can anybody tell me the difference?

Thanks!

There is no one out there with an answer to this question?

Maybe this will help. Here are some pics of the snake I purchased. He was sold to me as an anery het whitesided. However, he looks a lot like the pics I have found of axanthics. Any ideas?

Well first I would like to say that a very nice anerythristic/axanthic kingsnake. That line of anerythristic/axanthic is from Lloyd Lemke. Tim Ricks originated the Whitesided trait and they supposedly came from the Lemke axanthics.

The term anerythristic or axanthic can be used interchangably.. I asked this question years ago from Bern Bechtel (the author of genetics in herpetoculture as we know it) and he said the two terms can be used interchangbly.

Originally the snake you have was labeled an anerythristic from the originator the late Lloyd Lemke. How this whole debate got strated was in the book Bechtel published. He said that axanthic means lacking yellow pigment and anery means lacking red pigment. So the theory was that a snake that is mostly yellow that has this gene is an axanthic and a snake that is mostly red is an anerthristic. Problem I saw was in Bechtels book were he lists a mostly red snake as an axanthic. I asked him about it in person and he cleared it up. Lloyd argued his points before he passed away and then the hooby took over with the "axanthic" term for the brooks kings..

Long story short is I think that Lloyd Lemke had it right from the beginning. "Axanthic" is just a more marketable term.

When neoantes are born they have a lot of red that eventually turns into orange and then yellow. Today we also have the high reds (flames) that introduce even more red in the diffrent lines of brooks kings..so that makes it more confusing. The reds and yellows/ornage pigments ect all come from the same place. In other words its just a lable.

So to sum it up. They should be called anertythristic, but if you do, no one will think you know what you are talking about. So keep it simple, follow the sheep and call it axanthic.

soory about the typos. I was in a hurry.

That was very helpful! Thanks for the information. I saw him at a show, and I couldn't pass him up. Now maybe I can find him a suitable mate.

I finally found him a mate! I picked this girl up from BHB at the Indy expo yesterday!

Nice Pictures

Jeremiah Kogon

Kari,...... I know this is a fairly old post, but after reading it, it reminded me of some of the same genetic questions that I was pondering some time ago, not neccessarily just for the Florida King, but many other snakes as well,(mostly Hondurans). I have tried to understand as much as possible about snake genetics, and it can be very complicated at times. In any case, for what it's worth, here are some things you,and other readers might find useful........The cells that make up the colors that we see in reptiles are called "chromatophores", the pigment cells that are responsible for red and yellow pigment are known as "xanthophores", even though "xanthos" is a greek term meaning "yellow". The red and yellow pigments are called "pteridines". These may vary in color from pure yellow, to pure red, as well as intermediate shades thereof. Xanthophores that possess a predominately red coloration are referred to as "erythrophores" (thus, the term "an-erythristic for a reptile totally lacking red).Given this, I think the term "hypoerythristic" probably better defines what we have all been calling the "anerythristic" Honduran for years, and other snakes as well........."xanthophores" also appear to retain some yellow, to reddish coloration contained in the diet in the form of "carotenoids", like you see in some snakes, for example "snow corns", "ghost corns", ect....ect.....especially along the neck area. ......the animals genetic predisposition for the ability to store carotenoids, will of course vary in certain animals. ..........We wont even get into the blacks, blues, and greens, since you were mostly concerned with the red, and yellow............And YES!, like I said before, it can be quite complicated at times. I certainly don't consider myself a genetics expert, but just want to understand a little more about what I raise and breed........In short, after you read this,"axanthic" just might be a more defining term for your Fl. King.........I certainly am not trying to turn everything in the herping world upside down, just merely sharing some information that might help someone out.........Now that I have confused you as much as I sometimes get with genetics,.......I hope some of this helped out...............................D. Mong

I knew some of the basics behind the colorations, but this is a lot more information than I had. Thanks!