Motley (Central American) Boa Constrictors
The Central American Motley boa joins its back saddles into one connected pattern, often stripes, over a clean belly. It is a separate line from the Colombian Motley, and a smaller snake with darker markings, so check which Motley a listing means before you buy.
- Super Motley (Central American) — linked to a metabolic condition - loss of muscle tone, poor digestion and a heavily shortened life
- Motley (Central American) (aka CA Motley) — do not pair with another Motley. Offspring of that pairing carry a hereditary defect and cannot be sold here.
About the Motley (Central American) gene
The Motley (Central American) is a pattern and colour gene found in Central American boa constrictors. This gene is bought by keepers because it joins the saddles on the back into a connected pattern, often forming stripes. It is a separate line from the larger Colombian Motley.
Appearance
Instead of sitting as separate blocks, the dorsal saddles run together along the back. Many animals show missing saddles, stripes or reversed stripes. There is no usual speckling on the clean belly. A CA Motley is the smaller snake compared to a Colombian Motley and has darker tail markings and saddles. Born black and lightening to grey or dark brown as it grows, the super, Super Motley (Central American), is a dark, patternless boa.
Genetics
The Motley (Central American) is an incomplete dominant gene, though the hobby has always called it "co-dominant". Two copies produce Super Motley (Central American), which looks nothing like the single copy. Since a single copy always shows, there are no hets to track. This gene is kept apart from Motley (Colombian) because nobody has settled if the two are allelic. Black Berry is what you get when it is paired with Leopard. A boa from Panama was imported into the UK to start the line. The first litter was produced by Gereint Mortimer, who then sold the project.
Known issues
The issue sits with the two-copy Super Motley (Central American), not the single-copy Motley. The Super Motley is linked to a metabolic condition - loss of muscle tone, poor digestion and a heavily shortened life. Even a super that looks sound at birth can go downhill later. Central American supers reach adulthood more often than Colombian ones, but no breeder has reported offspring from one. Severity varies between individuals - please research the morph and ask the seller about this specific animal before buying. Because the Super Motley is on the REPTA Deleterious Gene Policy list, BaskMarket withdraws and refuses any listing carrying it. To avoid producing one, do not pair a Motley with another Motley, and read the breeding guidance on the listing before you plan a pairing.