Difference between Miami Phase and Miami Locality

Is there a difference or are they the same? Trying to figure out if my corn snake is a phase or locality. Thanks!

I am pretty new to this so bear with me!

Miami phase corns are generally a rust red color (sometimes a bit more burnt orange) with a silver or gray background color. Yours already has so much orange saturation on the neck that there is no way I would consider it a Miami phase. A Miami locality corn is one that was collected from the Miami area and may not look as 'clean' or 'ideal' as a Miami phase corn (which has been bred over generations for that red and gray look), but will still mostly be a reddish and grayish corn snake. So unless you know that yours was field collected from the Miami area or is from parents from that area, I would consider yours a nice looking normal. Was it sold to you as a Miami?

This thread is a good read and has some pictures. http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135255

Ian's vivarium also has a section of Miami corns. If you compare yours to the other babies, you'll see that baby Miamis are usually very dark red with gray backgrounds, and basically no orange on the neck.

http://iansvivarium.com/morphs/?m=miami

Actually, I coined the phrase "Miami Phase" many moons ago when I used to take trips down to the Miami area in the 1980s looking for small local pet shops selling local caught corns. And I also spent some time trying to rustle up my own captures in the area when I got lucky. I tended to gravitate towards the steel gray backgrounds with red orange, and even a sort of burgundy colored blotches.

I remember seeing an absolutely gorgeous specimen at one pet shop that had a brilliantly silver background with deep black borders around the bright red blotches. Orange blotches on the side that almost seemed neon. Really an eye catcher! It was a full adult, and the pet shop wanted $35 for it. Which at the time, was a pretty outrageous price for a corn snake. I still kick myself thinking about my passing it up.

I also saw a DOR specimen on Pine Island over on the west coast of Florida that was a really stunning example of the "Miami Phase" look as well.

So it was sort of a semi locality based name, because at the time, I had no idea if it was anything that could be reliably reproduced from offspring during breeding trials. And, of course, that orange background coloration seemed to be pretty unpredictable as to how prevalent it would become when those babies grew up and got some size on them.

"Crimsons" were actually hypomelanistic "Miami Phase" corns, and the Candy Cane line I started (I did not create the original line, as that line came from Kevin Enge, who got his stock from Glen Slemmer), used the "Miami Phase" as the base stock to breed amelanism into that line.

@hypnoctopus yes they did sell it to me as a Miami. Thanks for the link! And the tip

That is interesting Rich, I hadn't heard/read that before.

Miami (phase) has been my favorite morph since I started 11 years ago.

@OP here are a couple Miami phase babies I produced to show you the difference.

The first two pics are Balam and Kitsune as babies, the last two pics are Balam and Kitsune bigger (both in shed).

The orange in the ground color on yours (between the saddles, noticeable closer to the neck) will spread.

It's fun to watch their progression, as they grow, if you want to start a thread (or use this one) to post pictures as yours grows up.

MysticExotics said:

That is interesting Rich, I hadn't heard/read that before.

Miami (phase) has been my favorite morph since I started 11 years ago.

@OP here are a couple Miami phase babies I produced to show you the difference.

The first two pics are Balam and Kitsune as babies, the last two pics are Balam and Kitsune bigger (both in shed).

The orange in the ground color on yours (between the saddles, noticeable closer to the neck) will spread.

It's fun to watch their progression, as they grow, if you want to start a thread (or use this one) to post pictures as yours grows up.

Click to expand...

Thank you! Yeah the orange is spreading. Assuming she has some more “normal” in her then I thought but will see! Enjoying none the less!

MysticExotics said:

That is interesting Rich, I hadn't heard/read that before.

Miami (phase) has been my favorite morph since I started 11 years ago.

@OP here are a couple Miami phase babies I produced to show you the difference.

The first two pics are Balam and Kitsune as babies, the last two pics are Balam and Kitsune bigger (both in shed)

The orange in the ground color on yours (between the saddles, noticeable closer to the neck) will spread.

It's fun to watch their progression, as they grow, if you want to start a thread (or use this one) to post pictures as yours grows up.

Click to expand...

Yes the orange between her saddles are spreading. This is her lid from her deli cup when I purchased her.

MysticExotics said:

That is interesting Rich, I hadn't heard/read that before.

Miami (phase) has been my favorite morph since I started 11 years ago.

@OP here are a couple Miami phase babies I produced to show you the difference.

The first two pics are Balam and Kitsune as babies, the last two pics are Balam and Kitsune bigger (both in shed).

The orange in the ground color on yours (between the saddles, noticeable closer to the neck) will spread.

It's fun to watch their progression, as they grow, if you want to start a thread (or use this one) to post pictures as yours grows up.

Click to expand...

Current pic of her

I would call yours a normal/classic.