HERP MORPH ATLAS · CORN SNAKE

Corn Snake Morph & Genetics Guide

Pantherophis guttatus · Compare 20 core traits and major combinations across 62 photographs of real animals, with inheritance, visual and het labels, identification, and welfare notes.

The essential rule: similar color does not prove the same gene. Corn snake markets use “morph” for simple recessives, allelic variants, dominant patterns, selectively bred lines and hybrid-derived projects. Identify in this order: eyes → belly → dorsal saddles → lateral pattern → parent records.

The photographs link to real animals identified as the stated morph or combination by their original sources. A photograph alone cannot confirm lineage or recessive carrier status. Every caption states the morph name, observation points, and original source; selecting an image opens its source page.

30-second visual triage

Check first	Feature	Candidate	Confirm next
Eyes	Red/pink, no black pigment	Amel and Amel combinations	Separate true iris color from reflections
Belly	Checks greatly reduced/absent	Diffused, Motley/Stripe locus	Inspect through the tail region
Dorsum	Long central stripe, mosaic sides	Tessera	Genetics differ from recessive Stripe
Flanks	Irregular white patches	Pied-sided	Exclude scars and retained shed
Skin	Dorsal scales greatly reduced	Scaleless	Ventral scales remain; inspect injury
Overall	Colored flecks scattered on white	Palmetto	Document eye shape and parentage

Korean market labels used in this edition

Current Korean listings use labels such as Albino, Amel, Amel Tessera, Snow, “Palmetto 50% het Albino,” and Creamsicle Tessera side by side. This guide keeps Korean market names for searchability while standardizing genetic records as follows.

Label seen in Korea	Recommended record	Why
Albino	Amelanistic (Amel)	A more precise gene name than “Albino”
Amel Tessera	Amel + Tessera	Separates the color gene from the dominant pattern
Snow	Amel + Anery A	A combination of two recessive loci
Palmetto 50% het Albino	visual Palmetto, 50% possible het Amel	Separates visual status from possible heterozygosity
Creamsicle Tessera	Creamsicle-line + Tessera, ancestry disclosed	Records the possible hybrid ancestry of traditional lines

Korean market-language checks used the Seoul Reptile corn snake listings and the NEWRUN Cheongju listings. Store labels were used to document market usage, not as standalone genetic evidence.

Reading genetic labels

Visual: the phenotype is expressed; for a simple recessive, the animal is usually homozygous at that locus.
100% het: non-visual, but parentage proves one recessive allele is present.
66% possible het: the conditional probability among non-visual offspring from het×het; it is not “66% visible.”
50% possible het: a pedigree probability produced by a specific pairing.
Line-bred / polygenic: a look strengthened through selection. It should not be sold as a simple-gene “het.”
Dominant: one copy may be visual; Tessera is the key example here.
Allelic: different variants at the same locus. This matters for Amel/Ultra and Motley/Stripe calculations.

Twenty core morph, color and pattern entries

1. Normal / Wild-type · Miami · Okeetee

Inheritance class: line-bred / locality-derived appearance, not a single mutation

The wild type has red saddles edged in black and a black-and-white checked belly. Miami and Okeetee are locality-derived, selectively bred looks, not single-gene visuals.

Confusion and purchase check: Do not treat labels such as “het Okeetee” as if Okeetee were a simple recessive gene. Without provenance and parent photos, do not assume locality purity.

Real Normal / wild-type corn snake — black-edged red saddles, orange ground color and a checked belly — **Normal / wild-type** — Observation: black-edged red saddles, orange ground color and a checked belly. Source/credit: Killarnee / Wikimedia Commons. Original source

Real Miami Phase corn snake — silver-gray ground color contrasted with red-orange saddles — **Normal / wild-type** — Observation: black-edged red saddles, orange ground color and a checked belly. Source/credit: Killarnee / Wikimedia Commons. Original source

2. Amelanistic (Amel)

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Melanin is absent, leaving red, orange and white with red/pink eyes. A true visual Amel should not retain black scales or a black pupil.

Confusion and purchase check: Candycane, Reverse Okeetee and Fluorescent are selectively bred looks built on Amel. “Albino” is common hobby language, but Amel is the clearer sales label.

Real Amelanistic (Amel) corn snake — absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern — **Amelanistic (Amel)** — Observation: absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Candycane corn snake — absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern — **Amelanistic (Amel)** — Observation: absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

3. Anerythristic A

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Red/orange pigment is strongly reduced, producing black, gray and white. Dietary carotenoids may add yellow near the neck with age, so yellow alone does not rule Anery A out.

Confusion and purchase check: Charcoal (Anery B) is a different locus. Normal-looking offspring from the cross may carry both recessives, so keep the loci separate in records.

Real Anerythristic A corn snake — strong reduction of warm pigment, with gray, black or cool-toned pattern — **Anerythristic A** — Observation: strong reduction of warm pigment, with gray, black or cool-toned pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Anery Hurricane Motley corn snake — strong reduction of warm pigment, with gray, black or cool-toned pattern — **Anerythristic A** — Observation: strong reduction of warm pigment, with gray, black or cool-toned pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

4. Charcoal / Anery B

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Charcoal tends to look more neutral and coal-gray with less warm coloration, but lighting and age make photo-only separation from Anery A unreliable.

Confusion and purchase check: It is independent from Anery A. Blizzard usually means Amel+Charcoal, but some sellers include Diffused; always list the component genes.

Real Charcoal corn snake — coal-gray or extremely pale Amel+Charcoal expression with little warm pigment — **Charcoal** — Observation: coal-gray or extremely pale Amel+Charcoal expression with little warm pigment. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Charcoal Banded corn snake — coal-gray or extremely pale Amel+Charcoal expression with little warm pigment — **Charcoal** — Observation: coal-gray or extremely pale Amel+Charcoal expression with little warm pigment. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

5. Caramel

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Red tones shift toward gold, caramel and brown while melanin remains. Butter is Amel+Caramel; Honey is Sunkissed+Caramel.

Confusion and purchase check: Do not call every yellow corn a Butter. Butter lacks melanin and has red eyes; Caramel retains dark eyes and brown pigment.

Real Caramel corn snake — red and orange shifted toward yellow-brown and caramel while dark melanin and dark eyes remain — **Caramel** — Observation: red and orange shifted toward yellow-brown and caramel while dark melanin and dark eyes remain. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Butter corn snake — Amel+Caramel yellow and cream coloration with red/pink eyes and no black melanin — **Caramel** — Observation: red and orange shifted toward yellow-brown and caramel while dark melanin and dark eyes remain. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

6. Hypomelanistic (Hypo A)

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Melanin is reduced, softening black borders to brown and brightening the animal. Unlike Amel, melanin is not completely absent.

Confusion and purchase check: Sunkissed, Lava and Ultra are separate mutations that can all look hypo-like. A recessive het cannot be confirmed by appearance.

Real Hypomelanistic corn snake — reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance — **Hypomelanistic** — Observation: reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Bloodred Hypomelanistic corn snake — reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance — **Hypomelanistic** — Observation: reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

7. Lavender

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Typical traits are a pinkish ground color, gray-purple saddles and ruby/burgundy eyes. Age-related change is substantial, so compare animals under neutral light.

Confusion and purchase check: Opal is Amel+Lavender, Moonstone is Anery A+Lavender, and Plasma is Lavender+Diffused. A purple cast in one photo is not proof of Lavender.

Real Lavender corn snake — pink ground color, gray-purple saddles and reduced warm contrast — **Lavender** — Observation: pink ground color, gray-purple saddles and reduced warm contrast. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Lavender Hypomelanistic corn snake — reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance — **Lavender** — Observation: pink ground color, gray-purple saddles and reduced warm contrast. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

8. Cinder

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Look for an ash-gray ground color and wavy, irregular saddle borders. Although associated historically with Upper Keys stock, phenotype and locality provenance should be recorded separately.

Confusion and purchase check: It is commonly confused in photos with Charcoal, Anery and Kastanie. Parentage, test breeding and records take priority over color alone.

Real Cinder corn snake — ash-gray ground color with wavy or irregular saddle borders — **Cinder** — Observation: ash-gray ground color with wavy or irregular saddle borders. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Kastanie corn snake — chestnut-brown coloration that becomes more evident with age — **Cinder** — Observation: ash-gray ground color with wavy or irregular saddle borders. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

9. Sunkissed

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Assess more than brightness: smaller rounded saddles and a characteristic head pattern are important parts of the phenotype.

Confusion and purchase check: Stargazer syndrome was historically linked to some Sunkissed lines. Do not equate the morph with the disorder; ask breeders about tested clean lineage and any affected hatchlings.

Real Sunkissed corn snake — rounded saddles, distinctive head pattern and bright hypo-like coloration — **Sunkissed** — Observation: rounded saddles, distinctive head pattern and bright hypo-like coloration. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Motley Sunkissed corn snake — rounded saddles, distinctive head pattern and bright hypo-like coloration — **Sunkissed** — Observation: rounded saddles, distinctive head pattern and bright hypo-like coloration. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

10. Lava

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive

Dark pigment shifts toward gray-purple in this strong hypo-like recessive. Ice is Anery A+Lava.

Confusion and purchase check: Track it separately from Hypo A, Sunkissed and Ultra. Camera white balance can exaggerate purple tones.

Real Lava corn snake — dark pigment shifted toward gray-purple; Ice also removes warm color through Anery A — **Lava** — Observation: dark pigment shifted toward gray-purple; Ice also removes warm color through Anery A. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Ice corn snake — dark pigment shifted toward gray-purple; Ice also removes warm color through Anery A — **Lava** — Observation: dark pigment shifted toward gray-purple; Ice also removes warm color through Anery A. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

11. Diffused · Bloodred

Inheritance class: autosomal recessive pattern plus line breeding

The key Diffused markers are a clean belly and fading lateral pattern. Bloodred is best treated as Diffused plus selective breeding for red saturation and reduced pattern.

Confusion and purchase check: Juveniles may retain dorsal pattern and become more uniform with age. In records, separate het Diffused from Bloodred line information.

Real Diffused corn snake — reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection — **Diffused** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Bloodred corn snake — reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection — **Diffused** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

12. Motley · Stripe

Inheritance class: recessive alleles at the same pattern locus

Motley typically has a clean belly and ring/chain dorsal pattern; Stripe has longitudinal lines. They are treated as alleles at the same pattern locus.

Confusion and purchase check: Do not confuse them with selectively bred Aztec, Zigzag or Banded patterns. When both Motley and Stripe are listed, confirm the exact allelic genotype.

Real Motley corn snake — cleaner belly and a ring, chain, cube or longitudinal dorsal pattern — **Motley** — Observation: cleaner belly and a ring, chain, cube or longitudinal dorsal pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Motley Amelanistic corn snake — absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern — **Motley** — Observation: cleaner belly and a ring, chain, cube or longitudinal dorsal pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

13. Tessera

Inheritance class: autosomal dominant

A long organized dorsal stripe and mosaic-like lateral pattern are typical. As a dominant trait, a heterozygous visual parent is expected to pass it to about half the offspring.

Confusion and purchase check: Unlike recessive Stripe, Tessera is dominant. Verify genotype and parentage rather than relying on “super” marketing language.

Real Tessera corn snake — organized dorsal stripe with mosaic-like lateral pattern — **Tessera** — Observation: organized dorsal stripe with mosaic-like lateral pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Kastanie Tessera corn snake — chestnut-brown coloration that becomes more evident with age — **Tessera** — Observation: organized dorsal stripe with mosaic-like lateral pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

14. Okeetee · Reverse Okeetee

Inheritance class: selective line; Reverse Okeetee is Amel-based

Okeetee projects select an orange ground, red saddles and thick black borders. Reverse Okeetee is Amel-based, replacing black borders with bright white ones.

Confusion and purchase check: Separate appearance-bred Okeetee from documented locality lineage. “Extreme” and “High White” describe selection, not independent genes.

Real Reverse Okeetee corn snake — Amel-based saddles bordered in white rather than black — **Reverse Okeetee** — Observation: Amel-based saddles bordered in white rather than black. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real High White Reverse Okeetee corn snake — Amel-based saddles bordered in white rather than black — **Reverse Okeetee** — Observation: Amel-based saddles bordered in white rather than black. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

15. Miami Phase

Inheritance class: selective line/locality-derived appearance

The target look is a silver-gray ground with strong red/orange saddles. Because the ground color changes with age, do not judge solely from hatchling photos.

Confusion and purchase check: Miami is not a simple recessive. Candycane and Creamsicle may overlap in color, so record lineage and component genes separately.

Real Motley Miami corn snake — silver-gray ground color contrasted with red-orange saddles — **Motley Miami** — Observation: silver-gray ground color contrasted with red-orange saddles. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Candycane Banded corn snake — absence of black melanin, red/pink eyes and an Amel-based red-orange pattern — **Motley Miami** — Observation: silver-gray ground color contrasted with red-orange saddles. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

16. Palmetto · Scaleless

Inheritance class: Palmetto: incompletely dominant to wild type; classic visual is homozygous. Scaleless: recessive; hybrid-origin lines exist

The classic white, flecked Palmetto is the homozygous expression. Current hobby classification treats the allele as incompletely dominant to wild type, with subtle color effects possible in heterozygotes. Scaleless is a separate recessive trait that greatly reduces dorsal scales while ventral scales remain.

Confusion and purchase check: Protruding eyes are reported in some Palmetto lines and severity should be documented. Do not guarantee a heterozygous Palmetto from appearance alone; verify parentage and clutch records. Scaleless animals warrant extra monitoring for abrasion, shedding and skin injury.

Real Palmetto corn snake — scattered colored scales on a white ground; inspect eye shape from above and the side — **Palmetto** — Observation: scattered colored scales on a white ground; inspect eye shape from above and the side. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Hypo Sunkissed Scaleless corn snake — reduced dark pigment and a cleaner, brighter overall appearance — **Palmetto** — Observation: scattered colored scales on a white ground; inspect eye shape from above and the side. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

17. Pied-sided · Rootbeer · Creamsicle

Inheritance class: mixed: Pied-sided recessive; Rootbeer/Creamsicle may denote interspecies-derived lines

Pied-sided produces irregular white patches along the sides. Rootbeer and traditional Creamsicle labels commonly refer to lines with Emory’s ratsnake ancestry.

Confusion and purchase check: Not every white patch is Pied-sided; distinguish it from scars and retained shed. Obtain written disclosure on whether the animal is pure corn or from hybrid-derived stock.

Real Bloodred Pied Sided corn snake — reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection — **Bloodred Pied Sided** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Bloodred Rootbeer corn snake — reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection — **Bloodred Pied Sided** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

18. Ultra · Ultramel

Inheritance class: allelic series at the amel locus; hybrid-origin history

Ultra is a melanin-reducing allele; Ultramel is the Amel/Ultra compound heterozygote. Do not calculate Ultra and Amel as independent loci.

Confusion and purchase check: Ultra lines have a widely documented gray ratsnake-derived history. Sales records should disclose both genotype and hybrid ancestry.

Real Ultramel corn snake — intermediate melanin reduction from the Amel/Ultra allelic combination; dark pigment is reduced rather than absent — **Ultramel** — Observation: intermediate melanin reduction from the Amel/Ultra allelic combination; dark pigment is reduced rather than absent. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Ultramel Anerythristic corn snake — Ultramel melanin reduction plus Anery A, producing pale cool gray-brown tones with little warm pigment — **Ultramel** — Observation: intermediate melanin reduction from the Amel/Ultra allelic combination; dark pigment is reduced rather than absent. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

19. Snow · Blizzard · Avalanche · Opal

Inheritance class: multi-locus recessive combinations

Snow is Amel+Anery A; Blizzard is usually Amel+Charcoal; Avalanche is Amel+Anery A+Diffused; Opal is Amel+Lavender. Similar pale color does not mean the same genotype.

Confusion and purchase check: Eye color, residual pattern and age-related yellow/pink change are clues, not proof. Parent records and clutch outcomes are decisive.

Real Avalanche corn snake — very pale Amel+Anery combination with residual pink or lavender pattern — **Avalanche** — Observation: very pale Amel+Anery combination with residual pink or lavender pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Motley Snow corn snake — cleaner belly and a ring, chain, cube or longitudinal dorsal pattern — **Avalanche** — Observation: very pale Amel+Anery combination with residual pink or lavender pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

20. Combo planning · proof

Inheritance class: depends on component genes

Read component genes before the combo name. Example: Motley Butter = Amel/Amel + Caramel/Caramel + Motley/Motley. Each recessive locus must be homozygous to be visual.

Confusion and purchase check: A possible het is not visually confirmed. “66%” is the conditional probability among non-visual offspring from het×het; “50%” follows specific pairings such as visual×normal.

Real Bloodred Creamsicle corn snake — reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection — **Bloodred Creamsicle** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Motley Gold Dust corn snake — cleaner belly and a ring, chain, cube or longitudinal dorsal pattern — **Bloodred Creamsicle** — Observation: reduced belly and lateral pattern, often combined with strong red selection. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Additional combination comparisons

These two supplementary examples show why a combination name cannot be inferred from one component gene alone.

Real Motley Butter corn snake — Butter yellow-cream coloration and red/pink eyes combined with Motley’s ring or chain pattern — **Motley Butter** — Observation: Butter yellow-cream coloration and red/pink eyes combined with Motley’s ring or chain pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Real Motley Caramel corn snake — Caramel yellow-brown coloration combined with a cleaner belly and Motley ring or chain pattern — **Motley Butter** — Observation: Butter yellow-cream coloration and red/pink eyes combined with Motley’s ring or chain pattern. Source/credit: South Mountain Reptiles. Original source

Worked inheritance examples

Pairing	Expected visuals	Label for non-visual offspring
Amel × Normal	0% Amel	100% het Amel
het Amel × het Amel	25% Amel on average	Non-visual offspring are 66% possible het
Amel × het Amel	50% Amel on average	50% 100% het Amel on average
Tessera (heterozygous) × Normal	50% Tessera on average	50% Normal on average
Snow × Snow	100% Snow	None; both loci are homozygous

Probabilities are long-run expectations, not guarantees for a four-egg clutch. One clutch does not prove every possible het carried by a parent.

Six naming traps

Bloodred as a separate simple color gene: record Diffused separately from red line-breeding.
One universal Blizzard recipe: ask whether the seller means Amel+Charcoal or also includes Diffused.
Creamsicle as only Amel+Hypo: traditional Creamsicle lines may include Emory’s ratsnake ancestry.
Calculating Ultra and Amel independently: they belong to an allelic series at the same locus.
Using “het Miami/Okeetee”: locality-derived and line-bred looks are not simple recessives.
Calling any bright photo Hypo: neutralize lighting, shed cycle and editing; inspect eyes and dark borders.

Welfare cautions

Stargazer: neurological signs were historically associated with some Sunkissed lines. Animals showing upward head posture, twisting, inversion or feeding difficulty should not be bred and should be evaluated by a reptile-experienced veterinarian.
Palmetto bug eye: document severity, symmetry and corneal condition. Do not dismiss a pronounced eye abnormality as cosmetic.
Scaleless: avoid sharp or abrasive décor and overly dry setups. Inspect dorsal skin and the snout after sheds; retained ventral scales do not guarantee normal skin protection elsewhere.
Amel lines: pigment reduction alone does not justify claiming a disease-level light sensitivity. Every corn snake should still have shaded hides and control over exposure.
Hybrid-derived projects: ancestry does not automatically mean poor health, but concealing it damages long-term breeding records and buyer consent.

Twelve buyer questions

Is each photo the actual animal or a reference animal?
Are neutral-light, eye, belly and subcaudal photos available?
Are parent genotypes and parent photos documented?
Are visual, 100% het and possible het kept separate?
Can the seller explain the pairing behind 66% or 50% possible het?
Are line-bred names kept separate from simple genes?
Is possible hybrid ancestry disclosed for Ultra, Creamsicle and Rootbeer lines?
Has Stargazer history been checked in Sunkissed projects?
Are frontal and lateral eye photos available for Palmetto?
Are skin and shedding records available for Scaleless?
Are recent feeding, weight, fecal and shed records available?
Are photo identity, description and genetic guarantee recorded in writing?

Photo sources

Each photograph links to its original source. Final morph identification should also use parentage and offspring records.

Sources and cross-checks

HERP.BLOG Morph & Genetics category — duplicate-topic check
South Mountain Reptiles Corn Snake Morph Photos — exact gallery/listing labels for photographed animals
MorphMarket Morphpedia: Corn Snake Traits — current hobby terminology cross-check
South Mountain Reptiles: Palmetto genetics and history — incomplete-dominant classification and origin record
Wikimedia Commons: Pantherophis guttatus — real-animal photo source
Seoul Reptile corn snake listings — current Korean market terminology
NEWRUN Cheongju reptile listings — Korean Amel Tessera and Snow labels

This guide supports morph identification and record-keeping; it does not replace veterinary diagnosis for an individual animal.