Below is my young male Gibson Bull snake from 2013. He's a true jewel!
His parents are from wild collected stock of Antigua, Guatemala.
Digital image by Patrick Houston Briggs
Below is my young female Gibson bull snake year 2013. She's also a jewel!
Notice that the 3rd pair of vertebral markings has the 1st bridge on her. You can also see that she's been rubbing her nose a bit.
Digital image by Patrick Houston Briggs
Below is a closeup digital image of my young male "gibsoni" viewing the anterior body from above. Notice the paired markings.
Digital Image by Patrick Houston Briggs 2013
Below is another neonate "gibsoni" female from 2014.
Digital Image By Patrick H. Briggs
The "gibsoni" below is my 2014 neonate male I purchased from John Ginter who appears to be the first to successfully breed these in the U.S.
Unlike other colubrids, "gibsoni" are placed together in the fall season, laying before spring, with a long egg incubation period of more than 3 months.
Image By Pat Briggs
Here's an email from Pancho Gutiérrez to me with a video of a wild Gibson's bull snake from a ranch in Guatemala.
Hola Patricio,
Hi Patrick,
Pancho Gutiérrez Quetzaltenango Guatemala
As early researchers were becoming familiar with the ophidian form of Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni, they eventually lumped it into the same species as deppei and considered it a subspecies known as Pituophis deppei gibsoni with Pituophis deppei lineaticollis, Pituophis deppei deppei, and Pituophis deppei jani, and sometimes known by other taxonomical names depending on the authority or time period. This whole group was called the Middle-American snake for a while until the lineaticollis races were separated from the deppei races.
See this site: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31570/31570-h/31570-h.htm
Duméril (1853: 453) described Elaphis deppei from a specimen in the Leiden Museum from "Mexico." This specimen, according to the type description, has 233 ventrals and 67 caudals. In 1863 Jan described Pituophis deppei var. pholidostictus, also with "Mexico" as the type locality. Subsequent authors (see synonymy of P. deppei deppei in Stull, 1940: 25) have treated pholidostictus as a synonym of deppei. Smith and Taylor (1950: 334) restricted the type localities of deppei and pholidostictus to San Juan Teotihuacán, México. Cope (1860: 369) described Arizona jani on the basis of a specimen in the United States National Museum from Buena Vista, Coahuila. Stull (1932: 2, 1940: 42), Smith (1944: 145) and Smith and Taylor (1945: 107) considered jani as a northern subspecies of Pituophis deppei. Arizona lineaticollis was described by Cope (1861: 300); the type, which originally was in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and is now lost, was said to have come from Jalapa, Veracruz. This locality probably is in error. Smith (1943: 460) placed lineaticollis as a southern subspecies of deppei. Schmidt and Shannon (1947: 79) described Pituophis deppei brevilineata on the basis of five specimens from Tancítaro, Michoacán, and Stuart (1954: 172) described Pituophis deppei gibsoni from seven specimens from Departamento Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Thus, at present five subspecies of Pituophis deppei are recognized.(Of course, this has changed since the writing of this paper long ago.) For references, see the site above.
Diagnosis (gibsoni): This race is characterized by paired, elongated, pale-centered, paravertebral spots on the anterior part of the body. Posterior to the paired spots are 22 to 27 dorsal body-blotches; these and the lateral intercalary spots have pale centers. There are 234 to 246 ventrals and 57 to 65 caudals [DUELLMAN 1960].
Distribution Figure 1
An importantant range reference, click to the right: http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pituophis&species=lineaticollis
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31570/31570-h/31570-h.htm
Click this image to the right from the site above of a first gibsoni record: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31570/31570-h/images/i004_fig2.jpg
Click below for another RANGE MAP from IUCN red list
http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=63872
Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni Upper Head Closeup Study below
Photo by Patrick H. Briggs
One of the Cope's or Middle-American Pituophis races,
GUATEMALAN BULL SNAKE (Stuart, 1954)
(La Serpiente Toro de Guatemala)
Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni
By Patrick Houston Briggs
The Guatemalan or Gibson Bull Snake is named after Colvin Gibson, the collector of the first or "holotype" specimen. Type.--UMMZ 107060 was collected from near Yepocapa, Dpto. Chimaltenango, Guatemala; at 1430 meters in 1927. The native Guatemalans used to call it the "Mazacuata de Tierra Fria" which means "large snake of cold lands". It is rarely seen in common literature or photographed. This lesser-known race is indigenous to moderate and intermediate elevations of the Pacific versant of western Guatemala and from the Caribbean versant of the Sierra de los Cuchumantanes or the adjacent highlands region near San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico(Duellman 1960). Although they are reported to eat the local rodents, birds and their eggs, as young snakes, they may also feed on lizards. Very little is known regarding reproduction of gibsoni, but apparently, there are a few entusiasts having obtained permits, have brought some of these reptiles to the United States in Los Angeles, California and Arizona to attempt breeding this rare ophidian jewl. Carl Franklin, a biologist from Texas, also a researcher, has produced eggs from animals that he has worked with. John Ginter, a researcher and collector has produced eggs in 2013 after breeding in the winter instead of the spring as is common for most Pituophis forms. I understand Tom Moisi and his friends have also produced young in 2013. This subspecies also has darker or similar light brown ground coloration as many of the nominal lineaticollis individuals, with paired black, elongate PARAVERTEBRAL SPOTS or markings on the anterior and mid-region of the body numbering 22-27, and with PALE-CENTERS found within the upper dark twin touching spots at the mid-body region and within the lateral intercalary spots on each side. (The nominal P. l. lineaticollis is slightly different in this aspect among others, because it usually sports UNBROKEN or very few divisions or splits through the STRIPES anteriorly). This species is also one of the few Pituophis that have 2 prefrontal scales instead of the trademark 4. Guatemalan Bull Snakes number 234-246 ventrals and 57-65 caudals.
Type.?University of Michigan Museum of Zoology UMMZ No. 107060 [gibsoni] Holotype: ANSP 3548; Mexico
Below is a a digital image study of a young male Gibson's bull snake body viewed from above.
This animal came from parents of Antigua, Guatemala. Note the paired markings and the 1st bridge on the 5th pair.
Image by Patrick Houston Briggs 2013
Scutelation
Mid-body Scales 27 Supralabials 8-9
Ventrals 234-246 Infralabials 11-13
Caudals 57-65 Preoculars 1
Anal entire Postoculars 2-3
Prefrontals 2
Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi
(Upper Pituophis l. lineaticollis) (Lower Pituophis l. gibsoni)
Abajo se ve Jacob Diaz, El cazador de culebras con
un adulto Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/photo.php?id=233704
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/photo.php?id=233710
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/photo.php?id=233709
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/photo.php?id=261141
Other specimen sample numbers studied for genetic information include AF138767; CJF 1500 Guatemala: Departamento Zacapa, Sierra de las Minas &
AF141097; CJF 1501; Guatemala: Departemento Zacapa, Sierra de las Minas (Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles & Jose M. De Jesus-Escobar)
http://www.fororeptiles.org/foros/showthread.php?41206-ayuda-¡¡¡identificacion¡¡¡¡/page2&p=551099
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31570/31570-h/31570-h.htm
See this site image of gibsoni: http://www.travellog.com/guatemala/ikbolay/pituophislineatico.html
Carl Franklin produced 9 eggs from gibsoni in 2003. See message: http://forum.kingsnake.com/bull/messages/14913.html
John Ginter has produced gibsoni eggs in 2013 per personal communication cell phone to me. They hatched in April. I bought a pair.
Collector-Researcher John Ginter also has produced eggs for gibsoni per communiction by phone to Pat Briggs in April 2013.
See the forum on the kingsnake.com site about the gibsoni below: http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=2011085,2011085
See also REPTILES magazine April 2001 issue, Pituophis Parade: The Bull, Gopher & Pine Snakes, p. 48-73 By Patrick Briggs
Guatamalan Bull Snake or Mazacuata
Photo negative scan by Patrick Briggs
John Ginter says:
After 7 years of effort we were finally able to produce Gibson's gopher snakes! They spent 93 days in the egg but finally emerged a few weeks ago (April, 2013) and are already eating rat pinkies. They are offspring of legally obtained Antigua Guatemala locality founders. Much thanks to my good friend Danny for all his help in this accomplishment.
Digital Image by Patrick Houston Briggs
See one of the mothers of hatchlings born 2013 Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis: http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=2011085,2011085
Check out this beautiful head study by Chris Harris by clicking the red for the site below:
Check out fauna classified below advertised:
Here's another head study image by Carl Franklin, Click http://www.kingsnake.com/pituophis/images/Gibsoni.jpg
Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni (Rarely Photographed)
Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi
( Specimen Below Collected From Guatemala City)
Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi
(Below Note The Paravertebral Spots With Light Centers Toward The Mid-Body)
Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi
Closeup scale study of Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni from Guatemala City.
Notice the pairs of apical pits visible near the tips of each light scale.
Guatamala Bull Snake from Guatamala City
Photo negative scan by Patrick H. Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi
Side Head Study
Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni Stuart, new combination
Pituophis deppei gibsoni Stuart, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 67, p. 172, August 5, 1954.
Type.—UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY NO. 107060, OBTAINED BY COLVIN GIBSON. TYPE LOCALITY: YEPOCAPA,
Chimaltenango, Guatemala.
Diagnosis.—THIS RACE IS CHARACTERIZED BY PAIRED, ELONGATED, PALE-CENTERED, PARAVERTEBRAL SPOTS ON THE ANTERIOR PART OF
THE BODY. POSTERIOR TO THE PAIRED SPOTS ARE 22 TO 27 DORSAL BODY-BLOTCHES; THESE AND THE LATERAL INTERCALARY SPOTS HAVE
pale centers. There are 234 to 246 ventrals and 57 to 65 caudals.
Variation.—THE FEW SPECIMENS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FROM A SMALL GEOGRAPHIC AREA DO NOT PERMIT A DISCUSSION OF GEOGRAPHIC
VARIATION AT THIS TIME. ALL OF THE SPECIMENS HAVE THE PAIRED PARAVERTEBRAL SPOTS AND BLOTCHES WITH LIGHT CENTERS. IN THIS
RESPECT THE POPULATION OF lineaticollis EAST OF THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC IS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT FROM THE NOMINAL
SUBSPECIES IN THE MEXICAN HIGHLANDS. SMITH AND TAYLOR (1945: 108) LISTED A SPECIMEN FROM SAN CRISTOBAL, CHIAPAS. I
HAVE NOT SEEN THIS SPECIMEN AND SO DO NOT KNOW TO WHICH SUBSPECIES IT BELONGS. ON GEOGRAPHICAL GROUNDS IT PROBABLY IS
gibsoni.
Distribution.—GUATEMALAN HIGHLANDS AND PROBABLY HIGHLANDS OF CHIAPAS. ASIDE FROM THE SPECIMENS EXAMINED, TWO
OTHERS ARE KNOWN—ONE FROM VOLCÁN AGUA, SACATEPEQUEZ (SLEVIN, 1939: 400), AND ONE FROM DUEÑAS, SACATEPEQUEZ
(Boulenger, 1894: 65); these localities are not shown in figure 1.
Specimens examined.—EIGHT, AS FOLLOWS: GUATEMALA: Chimaltenango: CHICHAVAC, CNHM 1927; FINCA EL TESORO, 3 KM.
SE OF ACATENANGO, UMMZ 107062-3; FINCA RECREO, 4.5 KM. SW OF YEPOCAPA, UMMZ 107381; RÍO LOS POSITOS, 5.5 KM.
NE OF YEPOCAPA, UMMZ 107061; RÍO SOBOLOPOP, 8 KM. W OF PATZÚN, UMMZ 107064; YEPOCAPA, UMMZ 107060. El
Quiche: Nebaj, UMMZ 89202
For ADVANCED PITUOPHIS HERPETOCULTURISTS, HERPETOLOGISTS, or other ENTHUSIASTS only, see the site address below for some excellent scientific follow up information on this genus of ophidians: http://www.sociedadherpetologicamexicana.org/uri/museo/pituo.pdf
My female 8 months old
Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs
My 8 month old male Mazacuata (Pituophis l. gibsoni) on a gopher mound below. (Antigua, Guatemala stock)
Photo by Patrick H. Briggs
https://books.google.com/books?id=Tl6lmxGjrcMC&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=pituophis+de+guatemala&source=bl&ots=v60uHK5Qko&sig=Fe7jTodr89-koWBRXAKPWL8pqUc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDAQ6AEwCGoVChMIyef60cf4xgIVVyqICh2N-gvb#v=onepage&q=pituophis%20de%20guatemala&f=false