Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can someone please put a simple explanation of boa genetics. It would be greatly aprreciated. Mostly crossing single genes and double genes. Hope that makes sense?

Thanks,
Justin
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1.1 Argentine Boas 100% Het. for Albino
3.4 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.0 Longnose Snake
1.1 Tokay Geckos
2.2 Whalberg's Velvet Gecko
1.1 Texas Banded Geckos
1.0 Gold Tegu

Boa genetics is the same as all other genetics. It would be fairly lengthy to explain the punnent square (just google it, there are plenty of websites that will explain it well).
Basically you have two alleles for each trait. You get one allele from each of your parents.
For a recessive trait to be visualy different in appearance one must have recieved a mutated allele from each parent (ex. albinism).
For a dominant trait to be visualy different in appearance one must only reciveve a mutated allele from a single parent (ex. hypomelanism). One can recieve a mutated (dominant) allele from each parent, but will visualy have the same appearance as if they had only received one.

That is the basics ... here is a list of boa genetic mutations:
Color Mutations:
Albinistic – recessive – two strains: Khal and Sharp
Tyrosinase Positive Albinistic - recessive
Hypomelanistic – dominant
Anerythristic – recessive – two strains: type I and type II
Pastel – polygenic
Blood - recessive

Color Mutation Combinations:
Ghost – homozygous anerythristic heterozygous hypomelanistic
Super Ghost - homozygous anerythristic homozygous hypomelanistic
Snow – homozygous anerythristic homozygous albinistic
Sunglow – homozygous albinistic heterozygous hypomelanistic
Super Sunglow - homozygous albinistic heterozygous hypomelanistic
Bloody Salmon – homozygous blood heterozygous hypomelanistic

Locale Related Color Mutations:
Sunset – homozygous hypomelanistic having 50% Hog Island Boa blood
Slamontine – heterozygous hypomelanistic having 50% Argentine Boa blood

Pattern Mutations:
Arabesque – dominant?
Jungle – co-dominant
Motley – co-dominant
Stripe – recessive
Reverse Stripe – recessive?
Leopard - recessive?
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- Jason F.

Your best course is to read a genetics textbook. Once you get a grounding, you can apply the same principles to boa constrictors. If your public library can't get you something, then go to Elrod and Stansfield's book, Schaum's Introduction to Genetics. The fourth edition (paperback, used) costs less than $10 on the web. It isn't perfect, but it's the best bang for the buck that I know of. Good luck.

Paul Hollander

Thanks for your help. I should have mentioned that I do understand punnet squares, I had basic biology last year . I was just wondering if boa genetics was different that human or all other genetics.

Thanks again,
Justin
-----
1.1 Argentine Boas 100% Het. for Albino
3.4 Sonoran Gopher Snakes
0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.0 Longnose Snake
1.1 Tokay Geckos
2.2 Whalberg's Velvet Gecko
1.1 Texas Banded Geckos
1.0 Gold Tegu