Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So if what I read is true that a Super Lesser is not a Leucistic then what is a super lesser??? If you dont believe me go to ralph davis' ball python clutch #50 and read what he said.

I believe that was just sarcasm to a rumor that has been going around. I have yet to see someone produce a clutch from a BEL to a normal and get a normal.

Leucism is said to be one of the rarest genes out there . I think Ralph's point (and likely a correct point) is that to say all these "white snakes" are true Leucistics is not really all that accurate. The Super Mojave is a good example of this as it isn't really a pure white snake at all YET it obviously is a member of the Blue Eyed Leucistic family so I bet what Ralph is saying is that if Super Mojave is an Allele to Super Lesser then is Super Lesser truely a Leucistic or not or just perhaps a more white looking snake BUT not truely a Leucistic at all. Keep in mind that Phantom and now Mystic are also alleles to Lesser as well and we all can easily agree that those aren't what we would consider Leucistics at all either YET again are alleles to Lesser /Butter. You would need to ask Ralph to get a better answer but I have a feeling he is looking at it at this angle at least a little when he said that and I think he may be right too for that matter. I'm not sure if a true Leucistic Ball Python that is RECESSIVE is a better example of a true Leucistic or not but to me that actually would make alot of sense , far as I know that snake has yet to be found and is likely one of the genes we have not isolated just yet! Obviously some of these Supers are very white (Super Lesser) and some not so much so (Ivory, Super Phantom, Super Mystic, Super Mojave) so it really comes down to the fact of if they are TRUE Leucistics or not I think is Ralph's point, AGAIN you need to ask him what he means but I think that's his point regarding the TRUE Leucistic subject!

Anthony McCain

A case can be made that there are no leucistic ball pythons. The pro geneticists give a unique name to each mutant gene. The name reflects the appearance produced by the mutant gene.

A ball python mutant gene has been named "lesser platinum", another has been named "yellowbelly", another has been nmed "fire", etc. But none has been named "leucistic". Therefore there is no leucistic mutant gene in ball pythons.

When a mutant has been named "leucistc" then that is the "true" leucistic in that species. Any lookalikes are mimics that should be given their own unique names. It would be nice if the genetics and molecular biology of the leucistic mutant gene in the ball python is the same as those of the leucistic mutant gene in the Texas rat snake. However, that is not mandatory.

Paul Hollander

Details

Leucism (occasionally spelled leukism) is a general term for the phenotype resulting from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from the neural crest to skin, hair or feathers during development. This results in either the entire surface (if all pigment cells fail to develop) or patches of body surface (if only a subset are defective) having a lack of cells capable of making pigment.

Since all pigment cell-types differentiate from the same multipotent precursor cell-type, leucism can cause the reduction in all types of pigment. This is in contrast to albinism, for which leucism is often mistaken. Albinism results in the reduction of melanin production only, though the melanocyte (or melanophore) is still present. Thus in species that have other pigment cell-types, for example xanthophores, albinos are not entirely white, but instead display a pale yellow color.

More common than a complete absence of pigment cells is localized or incomplete hypo pigmentation, resulting in irregular patches of white on an animal that otherwise has normal coloring and patterning. This partial leucism is known as a "pied" or "piebald" effect; and the ratio of white to normal-colored skin can vary considerably not only between generations, but between different offspring from the same parents, and even between members of the same litter. This is notable in horses, cows, cats, dogs, the urban crow[1] and the ball python[2] but is also found in many other species.

A further difference between albinism and leucism is in eye color. Due to the lack of melanin production in both the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and iris, albinos typically have red eyes due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. In contrast, leucistic animals have normally colored eyes. This is because the melanocytes of the RPE are not derived from the neural crest, instead an outpouching of the neural tube generates the optic cup which, in turn, forms the retina. As these cells are from an independent developmental origin, they are typically unaffected by the genetic cause of leucism.
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