Purple Line Hognoses
Purple Line takes extreme red western hognose stock darker, into maroon and burgundy with purple tones that show more in some animals than others. Keepers also work it into albino and anaconda lines, so judge a listing on the photographs rather than the name.
About the Purple Line gene
Purple Line is a colour line in the western hognose snake, built from extreme red stock and carried toward maroon, burgundy and purple. Keepers work it into albino, anaconda and superconda lines.
Appearance
Purple Line hognose snakes are dark red, closer to maroon or burgundy than to a bright red, with purple tones running through the colour. The line came from breeding the darkest extreme reds together, so the snake reads as a deeper extreme red. How much purple shows varies from one animal to the next, and some show it only faintly, so judge a listing on the photographs rather than the name.
Genetics
Purple Line is polygenic and line bred: no single gene is behind it, and it does not follow simple Mendelian inheritance. Listings carry it as Purple Line, or as Pos Purple Line for an animal that may show the look, since a line-bred look cannot be predicted from the parents. It is worked into other morphs and sold as Purple Line Albino, Purple Line Anaconda, Purple Line Superconda and Purple Line Axanthic Superconda. Extreme Hogs created the line.