Roswell Laddertail Boa Constrictors
Roswell Laddertail links a boa's saddles with fine lines and puts a ladder on the tail, and two copies stripe the whole snake. Litters have been linked to losses at birth, and breeders still argue over the cause, so weigh that before you breed it.
About the Roswell Laddertail gene
The RLT, or Roswell Laddertail, is a pattern gene for boa constrictor. Two copies of the gene make the whole snake a stripe, while one copy puts a ladder on the tail and links the saddles. Breeders use it in Albino, Sunglow and Hypo projects.
Appearance
The body looks like one joined pattern rather than a row of separate saddles because fine lines connect the dorsal saddles to each other. A ladder-like pattern is on the tail. Striping covers the whole body of the super, Super Roswell Laddertail.
Genetics
Roswell Laddertail is incomplete dominant, which most boa keepers still call "co-dom". The homozygous form is a Super Roswell Laddertail, which the hobby calls a Roswell: Heather Martin named the super when she produced the first ones in 2007. Since the bare name gets used for single-copy animals too, check which one a listing means. Todd Smith produced the first litter in 2003 by breeding a Kahl Albino to a wild-caught Suriname boa with a ladder tail and a connected pattern. All the founding RLTs were het Kahl Albino.
Known issues
High death rates at birth are linked to the Roswell Laddertail. Some babies drown before birth while others have blown-out sides like a Super Hypo. Breeders still dispute how much of this comes from the gene and how much from husbandry. Whatever animal you buy, ask the seller how its litter fared at birth.