Need help understand Jags

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Virides

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Hey all!

It would be really appreciated if you could help out below, even if you only know a part of the puzzle :)

So we have had a customer add "Jag" to our species list for the Name Plates.

We know that a Jag is essentially a coastal but can also be a hybrid. This creates problems because of how we represent species for the product.

We need to know what our approach should be...

Jaguar "Pure":
Coastal Python "Jaguar"
Morelia spilota sp.
or
Coastal Python
Morelia spilota sp.
Genetics: Jaguar

Jag "Hybrid":
Coastal x Diamond Python "Jaguar"
Morelia spilota sp.
or
Coastal x Diamond Python
Morelia spilota sp.
Genetics: Jaguar

Coastal x Jungle Python "Jaguar"
etc

What hybrid groups are there also?

1. Coastal x Diamond
2. Coastal x Jungle
3. ?

Also with maps, what would be the way to represent these? Do we mix the ranges of both hybrid animals, or what?
 
Last edited:
What about

Coastal python x Diamond python (aka 'Jaguar')
Morelia spilota (hybrid)
Location 'non-specific'
 
Jag is a morph not a taxon. It mutated in captivity, outside of Australia. It does not have a natural distribution, it does not exist in the wild, it never did.

It's sort of like asking what fruit does 2 + 2 equal, or what is the sound of red.

Distribution maps only work for taxa (species/subspecies etc.).

Your customer may want to insist that they are correct and jag is a taxon not a morph, or likely you know the customer is always right and don't want to point out their error. Probably the closest fit for a taxon would be Morelia spilota with a distribution map including all Morelia spilota (including Morelia spilota bredli/M. bredli). If you're so inclined to consider bredli a different species, Morelia spp as the taxon and all Morelia spilota plus M. bredli distribution.
 
As Sdaji said, jags are an artefact of mixed captive breeding, and you will never know the lineage of any jag you have, because the originals were smuggled in from overseas, and have been mixed with anything jag breeders can get their hands on here to produce "something different" for the "discerning" reptile keeper. Making labels as you suggest will be totally pointless, and by necessity, misleading.

Jamie
 
As Sdaji said, jags are an artefact of mixed captive breeding, and you will never know the lineage of any jag you have, because the originals were smuggled in from overseas, and have been mixed with anything jag breeders can get their hands on here to produce "something different" for the "discerning" reptile keeper. Making labels as you suggest will be totally pointless, and by necessity, misleading.

Jamie

Understandable :)

I think we might go down the line of having them as something like:

Jaguar
Taxonomy Not Applicable
(Map shown with all Morellia distribution) *Unknown origin

Something to that effect.
 
Jag is a morph not a taxon. It mutated in captivity, outside of Australia. It does not have a natural distribution, it does not exist in the wild, it never did.

Well you learn something everyday.
 
I think you could treat Jag similar to "albino" or "hypo" or caramel in that it describes an appearance .
 
If I were buying one, I personally wouldn't like "Taxonomy Not Applicable"; it's still Morelia species.

I agree with Wokka that, in this particular case, it should be treated just like every other visual morph. There's no point alienating potential customers by describing them the way pure blood enthusiasts do.
 
No, I mean negatively. There are ways to be truthful without being negative. Nice try though ;)
 
Something like "heritage unknown" would do. But note: Morelia has only one "L." It would drive me crazy if you misspelled it.

Jamie

Was a typo :) our listings are with one L :)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Plenty to go from here, thanks for all the clarification. I do agree that this looks to be more of a visual thing like Albino.
 
Ah, but it wasn't a one-off typo - in your lists and your following post, you spell it with two "L"s every time... Not a problem though, it's just that I'm very pedantic about labels and spelling, especially scientific names. Comes from my days in Museum exhibition work.

Jamie
 
Ah, but it wasn't a one-off typo - in your lists and your following post, you spell it with two "L"s every time... Not a problem though, it's just that I'm very pedantic about labels and spelling, especially scientific names. Comes from my days in Museum exhibition work.

Jamie

I have looked over our listing (virides.ecwid.com) and they are all there with one L. Understandably this post is shown with two Ls but this was a typo. I am not sure what you are refering to as we want to ensure it is all correct :) Are you able to point out where you are talking about with a weblink?

- - - Updated - - -

This is what we have done - https://www.facebook.com/Virides/ph...337902372519/1142208872485412/?type=3&theater

It was based on all the comments here and best represents a difficult situation with regards to how our Name Plates are structured.

Thanks all for the help :)
 
Maybe just listed as Carpet Python Morelia sp. instead of the morph name and scientific name, we can't even be sure it's a spilota species and most wouldn't.
 
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