Blue spotted Slow worm: |
Author | Message |
David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 20 May 2003 I have seen several hundred Bue spotted Slow worms over the years and today was the first time I can remember seeing a female with blue spots. Is this the same in other parts of the country.
British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 22 May 2003 I too have examined thousands of slow worms dave and I have never seen a blue-spotted female your find is unusual. At the moment I am looking at slow worms on a site near Fleet every other male is blue spotted. Most of the blue spotted specimens have had had dark ground colour but here even the light brown and pinkish males have blue spots. Some of the spots merge to form quite large patches <4mm in one case.
Tony Phelps |
j gaughan Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 No. of posts: 57 View other posts by j gaughan |
Posted: 27 May 2003 nice one david; i'll be looking at my females more closely in future. i have found attractive stripey males (at least one pic somewhere) with varying degrees of dark flanking & occasionally females with odd grey flecks on the upper body region, but it never occured to me that they may turn blue as in the usual males of the form. i am informed that 3-4 examples are known from europe, so a good first for the british islands. |
j gaughan Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 No. of posts: 57 View other posts by j gaughan |
Posted: 23 Aug 2003 _well, let's say a 'good first published pic.' as i've just found a ref. to one found at newtondale, yorkshire in 1965 this appears in colin simms 'lives of british lizards' (1970), and no doubt a thorough literature search will reveal more _it nearly always usually does john |
David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 23 Aug 2003 I'm glad it was you that jumped the gun with the fiirst for the UK John and not me. Lol British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
- Blue spotted Slow worm |