Other than colour see absolutely no difference in pattern....I always thought flame was little squiggly lines running along the sides, and tigers had them both sides and back...



That is a valid point, realistically it is still too early to determine what is genetic and what is line. For a safe bet, I will usually refer to Allens descriptions as published in the 2003 annual.



To answer your question, IMO a fire lacks any or very little side coloration apart from the base color of the animal. I think that the prominance of light coloration extending approx. 3/4 up the dorsal from the base of the tail helps distinguish this.



As far as the sides are concerned, I personally have taken what I described above and if the sides of are the same coloration of the back covering 1/4 - 1/2 of the flank, I would consider this Harlequin.



I think the gecko on the right is more tiger stripe than a brindle, but it really is interpretive.



More than likely, due to polymorphism, we will have to use our own judgement and just pick the ones we like. If you get a chance, check out Allens article and take a peek at some of the photos. Color and pattern all over the place! Fire, Bi-color, brindle?? Who knows. Outstanding examples none the less.

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Galen Clark

www.captivescience.com

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