>> Also, the extremely yellow nelsoni individuals do not start out this way as hatchlings, but rather display a gradual ontogenetic change over time as they mature. I have done a fair amount of reading about the different pigment cells(chromatophores), and what colors they can be responsible for.

>>

>> The ongoing yellowing in animals is often caused by caratinoid retention. Individual animals can have a certain genetic pre-disposition for doing this, and are known to retain much more of this than others, which allows the pigment cells to continue developing more and more yellow coloration as it ages throughout it's life. This is what I and others suspect is going on with these individuals that get much yellower later on in life, just as those incredibly yellow nelsoni individuals that Tim has. Same thing with a few Honduran's I have as well. They started out white too, and now they have a greenish/yellow cast to their once-white color scheme.



Thanks for sharing that info...I am aware of many amel tricolors' white turning yellow....Some amel Ruthveni do as well.

Maybe I'll have to hold back some of the amels she produces to see if they turn yellow or not....That is if they aren' out of the egg.
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John Lassiter

Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

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