Is this what it looks like?

[infernalis]

I will not say where I got this, but it certainly looks like a hybridization in progress.

Obviously this picture originates in Europe, so IF/When those babies hit the marketplace..

[kain]

Yep sure looks like it, I don't think its too much of a problem as long as the babies are correctly labeled and not sold as pure San Frans. San Frans have such a small gene pool that its very hard not to get pairs that are related

[chris-uk]

Two tetras and an infernalis?

[infernalis]

Look in the hide log...

There is a pair of each in there.

[chris-uk]

Considering I'll be in the market for some San Frans next year I'd be interested to know where the pics was taken. PM me if you don't want to post, because there's a good chance they won't be sold as hybrids.
I don't disagree with hybridisation per se because the problems from inbred tetra bloodlines are probably more significant than the dilution of the tetra genes by hybridisation. It's a polar debate though isn't it? Some are dead against anything but pure species, others would accept it. What I wouldn't accept is paying for pure San Frans and getting hybrids.

[Stefan-A]

the dilution of the tetra genes by hybridisation

It's not dilution, it's eradication of everything that made it a tetra. What's the point? The end result is basically... nothing. Neither tetrataenia nor whatever the hell else that is. Infernalis, parietalis, concinnus? Whatever. There's no justification or excuse for it.

[chris-uk]

It's not dilution, it's eradication of everything that made it a tetra. What's the point? The end result is basically... nothing. Neither tetrataenia nor whatever the hell else that is. Infernalis, parietalis, concinnus? Whatever. There's no justification or excuse for it.

I agree it's no longer a tetrataenia, and if I had a breeding pair one of my aims would be to keep the subspecies healthy in captivity. However, if there is a market for snakes that look like a tetrataenia, but aren't pure, then there is a point - the point being that a breeder can increase yields of viable offspring and make more money from fewer tetras, and also produce snakes that look like tetras but perhaps have a lower risk of developing genetic problems.

It's not for me to produce hybrids. To me breeding morphs is close to the limit of what I would be willing to do personally (I like to see the natural beauty of the animals, not some a colouring that has been artificially selected for). But playing devils advocate, I can see the appeal of a "tetra-alike"snake that wasn't inbred back through 10 generations.

[mb90078]

It's not dilution, it's eradication of everything that made it a tetra. What's the point? The end result is basically... nothing. Neither tetrataenia nor whatever the hell else that is. Infernalis, parietalis, concinnus? Whatever. There's no justification or excuse for it.

A tetra isn't a tetra anymore though, that's the problem. The overly-restricted gene pool of purebreds in captivity makes the pure bloodline as undesirable as a hybrid to some people (so long as it's correctly advertised as one).

[Stefan-A]

A tetra isn't a tetra anymore though, that's the problem. The overly-restricted gene pool of purebreds in captivity makes the pure bloodline as undesirable as a hybrid to some people (so long as it's correctly advertised as one).

A tetra is a tetra regardless of how inbred or undesirable it is.

[mb90078]

A tetra is a tetra regardless of how inbred or undesirable it is.

I would also disagree with this. I would be shocked if all wild tetras don't have some blood lines from other nearby (sub)species. As I've said before, modern humans have Neanderthal DNA (As we all know, humans did not evolve FROM neanderthals, neanderthals briefly co-existed with modern humans, and then died out). I reject the very idea of "purebred" when it comes to animals who in the wild have or have had access to interbreed with other species or sub species.