The First Record of Leucism in the Rhabdophis tigrinus (Boie, 1826)
(Squamata, Colubridae) in South Korea
Abstract
Leucism, in which pigmentation is lost over part or the entire body of
an animal, has a range of possible genetic causes. Here, we report
leucism in an individual tiger keelback (Rhabdophis tigrinus) found on
Jeung Island, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea, during a survey of
the distribution of reptiles in the area. The individual was observed
sunbathing in the bushes next to a pond. This individual exhibited
ecdysis, thus it considered that have normal feeding activity. Our
report represents the first observation of leucism in R. tigrinus, and
thus, further analysis is needed of this phenotype to more clearly
understand its impact on the species and its natural history.