I'm glad you're leading the charge on this topic Troy...someone has to do it!

Thanks Rusty! For all those that have known me for the last 4 years when I really took an interest in genetics, know that I do try my best to educate myself on these topics as well as passing what I've learned onto others.

I remember when I used "Albino" to describe an Amelanistic Honduran, I was quickly corrected and never looked back!

And you my friend have passed along your knowledge to me about the differences between Amels and Albinos and helped me to shed my ignorance of those terms years ago. So, thank you for that!

Honduran Milks, for example, don't have a true Axanthic or Anerytherisic either...they are more correctly described as HypoErythristic...because they still have red/pink coloration, but are just greatly reduced.

That's the interesting thing about genetics, there are so many variations that exist that some traits can be easily overlooked and/or simply mislabeled.

Some people are interested in using the correct terms others don't really care...it's not a huge deal either way, I just try to use the correct terminology if known.

Unfortunately, once an incorrect label is attached to a trait, it's often difficult if not impossible to correct it. But like you said, it's not a huge deal as people are going to do or say whatever makes them happy regardless of whether or not they know the differences. Heck, I know plenty of people that still, out of habit, refer to Axanthics as Anerythristics even though they know the differences between the two traits and even admit that Anerythrism is incorrect, but they like saying Anerythristic better than Axanthic, so that's what they use.

At the end of the day, all that matters to me is knowing what I've learned from extensive study and from my colleagues in the hope that if someone asks me a question, I can hopefully give them an informed answer. The more we learn, the more we evolve.
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Troy Rexroth
Rextiles

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