Sean,

I believe you are somewhat confused as well, co-dominant does not always have relate a morph allele to the wild type allele, as is often the case with most ball python genes that you are obviously familiar with, which some of the ball python morphs that are termed co-dominant would argueably be better characterized as incomplete dominance, however the two terms are somewhat arbitrarily used, especially in the world of snake breeding. The problem is the heterozygous form is usually found first and then the homozygous or "super" form is realized.

Co-dominant can also describes two alleles relating to each other. A classic example of this is human blood groups. As is the case with amel and ultra: one copy amel= wild type phenotype, two copies amel= albino phenotype, one copy ultra= wild type phenotype, two copies ulta= albino like phenotype, one copy ultra one copy amel= albino/albino like phenotype. Having said that ulta and amel are argueably the same or similar alleles at the same albino loci, and are simply very slightly different versions of the same recessive alleles at the albino loci. My understanding is that the ultra/amel relationship is still up for debate, including ultras possible origin from another closely related species of rat snake.

However I do know this; co-dominance does NOT have to relate to wild type only.
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Jeff Benfer



1.0 pastel Python regius

1.1 mojave Python regius

0.1 normal Python regius

1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis

2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina

4.1 Kinosternon baurii

1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin

2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis

1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis

2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix

0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix

1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus

0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

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