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Current Herpetology
Abstract
Abstract:
Although Ahaetulla prasina is typically a cryptic green color, they have also been observed in brown, grey and orange-yellow morphs. We recorded observations of the A. prasina color morphs found in a population within the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve (SBR), northeastern Thailand, between 2013 and 2017. We did not detect any green or brown morphs, showing that this population is dimorphic between grey (54%) and orange-yellow (46%) adults. We did not discern any geographic separation of the color morphs within this population, and sex did not determine color. We found four juveniles, all with brownish-grey bodies and yellow on their anterior dorsals. We observed one sub-adult, which was solid grey except for yellow on the top of the head. Our results suggest that this population may be genetically isolated due to the rapid development surrounding the SBR. Furthermore, color does not likely have a strong influence on adult fitness within this population. Our juvenile and sub-adult observations may indicate ontogenetic color shifts in this population of A. prasina. We recommend additional investigations into the relationship between color and A. prasina ecology. We further reason that the SBR A. prasina may be a good model population for snake genetic research in developing areas.
We thank the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), the Herpetology Department at the Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, and the SERS staff for assistance with site permission, logistics, and technical support throughout this study. We thank Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) for their support of snake research projects at SERS. All our methods were carried out under the guidelines and with the approval of the SUT animal use and ethics committee. We also thank the numerous SERS researchers and volunteers who assisted with data collection and snake processing, and Daniel Worthren, Jannico Kelk, Michael Cota, Montri Sumontha and Rushen Bilgin (Thai National Parks) for contributing their photographs. Lastly, we thank the local villagers of the Udom Sap Subdistrict in the SBR for their friendliness and willingness to allow us site access.
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