Anomalous pigmentations have been reported in several groups of reptiles. Among these, albinism is one of the most striking aberrations of body coloration. This pigmentary anomaly is caused by the absence of melanin in the integument. Many cases of albinism have been reported in snakes, primarily in species with cryptozoic habits, and several reports are available for the Dipsadidae family from South America. Geophis is one of the most diverse genera in this family, with 50 species distributed mainly in Mesoamerica. The Yellow-bellied Earth Snake (Geophis godmani) is known only from the mountain ranges of Costa Rica and western Panama. In September, 2020 we encountered an albino individual of the Yellow-bellied Earth Snake at Palmira de Zarcero, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. Here we report on this finding and discuss possible consequences of albinism in snakes. Snakes affected by albinism have red eyes and a yellow or pink coloration due to the presence of xanthophores and erythrophores. As a result, aspects such as thermoregulation can be affected, and jeopardize the snake's survival. However, some individuals can have traits that potentially preclude the negative effects of albinism. These characteristics would allow for the survival of individual snakes to the adult stage, such as the albino individual of Geophis godmani we found in central Costa Rica.

中文翻译：

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来自哥斯达黎加中部的黄腹地蛇（Geophis godmani Boulenger，1894）（蛇：Dipsadidae）的白化病

据报道，几组爬行动物有异常色素沉着。其中，白化病是最显着的体色异常之一。这种色素异常是由外皮中缺乏黑色素引起的。在蛇中报告了许多白化病病例，主要是在具有隐生习性的物种中，并且有一些关于来自南美洲的 Dipsadidae 科的报告。Geophis 是该科中最多样化的属之一，有 50 种，主要分布在中美洲。黄腹地蛇（Geophis godmani）仅在哥斯达黎加和巴拿马西部的山脉中被发现。2020 年 9 月，我们在哥斯达黎加阿拉胡埃拉省的 Palmira de Zarcero 遇到了黄腹地蛇的白化个体。在这里，我们报告了这一发现并讨论了蛇白化病的可能后果。受白化病影响的蛇有红色的眼睛和黄色或粉红色的颜色，这是由于存在叶黄素和红细胞。因此，体温调节等方面可能会受到影响，并危及蛇的生存。但是，有些人可能具有可能排除白化病负面影响的特征。这些特征将使个体蛇能够存活到成年阶段，例如我们在哥斯达黎加中部发现的 Geophis godmani 白化个体。有些人可能具有可能排除白化病负面影响的特征。这些特征将使个体蛇能够存活到成年阶段，例如我们在哥斯达黎加中部发现的 Geophis godmani 白化个体。有些人可能具有可能排除白化病负面影响的特征。这些特征将使个体蛇能够存活到成年阶段，例如我们在哥斯达黎加中部发现的 Geophis godmani 白化个体。