Very pretty boas and a very interesting project.

I didn't see any hard information about the patternless babies' mother on the web site. Is she out of the harlequin project, too? If so, how closely is she related to the father? She looked like a normal snake, to me. Not an orangetail, and not a harly. Is she a (presumed) het harly or an unrelated snake? The patternless were in 2005. The father died, but is the mother still around? Has she been bred to any other males???

From the HarlequinBoa web site, it looks to me as if harlequin is a recessive mutant gene. If patternless is at all related to harlequin, then patternless is likely to be a recessive mutant gene, too.

I thought that it was interesting that there were no harlequins in the patternless litter. Could this be just the luck of the draw? Or could it indicate something else?

I don't think there is enough information to draw any conclusions right now. So everything following this is brainstorming. The snakes will tell us eventually which of my ideas is right.

1. Patternless is a mutant gene that is dominant to the normal version of the gene totally unrelated to harlequin, though it masks the expression of the harlequin mutant. It was a spontaneous mutantion in either the father or the mother. If in the mother, has she been bred to any other snake? Objection: But if the mother was supposed to be het harlequin, why weren't there any harlequin babies?

2. Same as 1 except patternless is a codominant mutant. Same objection, too.

3. Same as 1 except patternless is a recessive mutant. Same objection. Also, both parents would have to be het patternless.

4. Patternless is a mutated version of the harlequin gene present in the mother only. That gene is dominant to the harlequin gene and recessive to the normal version of the gene. That would explain the no harlequin babies.

5. There is another explanation that I haven't written down or haven't thought of. I'm out of web surfing time now.

Paul Hollander

[ Hide Replies ]

• Can we have an open discussion about - skyslinger, Wed Jan 14 20:54:09 2009
• RE: Can we have an open discussion about - ilovemylizard, Thu Jan 15 01:45:11 2009
• RE: Can we have an open discussion about - ilovemylizard, Thu Jan 15 02:13:59 2009
• Heather, I think you have made some - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 06:37:12 2009
• RE: Heather, I think you have made some - vcaruso15, Thu Jan 15 08:03:20 2009
• Good points as well. Here is a pic of - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 10:02:24 2009
• RE: Can we have an open discussion about - ilovemylizard, Thu Jan 15 15:23:29 2009
• I have to take your word I wouldn't know - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 15:57:16 2009
• Patternless Super Aztec - bob36, Thu Jan 15 19:41:21 2009
• No doubt! What were we thinking? - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 23:43:22 2009
• I think it would be very helpful - boaphile, Thu Jan 15 10:39:50 2009
• Jeff, read my posts and you will see - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 11:06:54 2009
• Modifyingr and Regulator genes link - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 11:54:09 2009
• RE: Modifyingr and Regulator genes link - ilovemylizard, Thu Jan 15 15:28:06 2009
• No problem. I like to learn too! np - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 15:58:11 2009
• Not that i can add much genetic info but - geckocrazy, Thu Jan 15 13:22:22 2009
• Your 2 cents was worth 2 dollars - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 13:37:40 2009
• RE: Can we have an open discussion about - LarM, Thu Jan 15 15:37:11 2009
• They were very PINK striated from head - skyslinger, Thu Jan 15 16:01:09 2009
• RE: Can we have an open discussion about - Paul Hollander, Thu Jan 15 18:25:22 2009
• Paul, the Harlequins are simply a line - skyslinger, Fri Jan 16 00:15:39 2009
• I hope that made any sense at all and - skyslinger, Fri Jan 16 00:22:14 2009
• RE: I hope that made any sense at all and - Paul Hollander, Fri Jan 16 19:44:57 2009
• Me too Paul! I do wish I new more - skyslinger, Sat Jan 17 14:53:39 2009