Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am interested to know if anyone has a remotely clear list of the various color and pattern mutations currently recognized as genetically heritable. As I understand it, including the E.g. emoryi amel gene we have:
Amelanistic A
Amelanistic B (creamsicle type gene)
Hypomelanistic A
Hypomelanistic B
Anerythristic A
Anerythristic B
Lavender
Motley (distinct from stripe or not?)
Stripe
Zig-Zag (Does this count?)
Hyperxanthism (caramel)
Hypernerythrism (Bloodred)

Candy Cane? (Not a recessive gene, just a desirable trait... right?)

My questions also include:
Are either of the Hypo traits co-dominant?
How do I tell the difference visually between the hypo traits?
What if I get an E g emoryi gene in my amel corn, will I get all 2xhet normals, or are they actually different?
Is there a T amelanism trait recognized in Egg yet?
Is Lavender considered "Type C" Anerythrism?
How do I tell the difference between an anery type b/lavender and an anery type b/hypo type b or all of the variations of GHOST?
I want all of my genetics to be clearly mapped, at least within my group, so I am just trying to get my facts straight. I also heard a rumor about type c Hypomelanism...am I even close to right? Untangle me.

Kathy...hurry..we need another book. This is getting messy.
k, thanks

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Jeremy J. Anderson
No one in the world ever gets what they want, and that is beautiful. Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful.

You are right, there is a new hypo: hypo C, which has been termed Lava. There very well could be other forms of hypo too from what I hear. The guy who has the Lava form (Joe Pierce) has used it to create a ghost (Lava x Anery A) that blows away the best pastel ghost ever.

The three known hypo traits are all simple recessive.

Also, regarding bloodred, it should be considered a pattern trait, not a color trait. They have been selectively bred to be red.

I'm not sure about Zig-zag either. From what I know, it is kind of random as to whether babies from zig-zag parents have this trait or not. The babies may show zig-zagging, but it is due to something different than just a simple recessive gene.

Some people think of Lavender as a form of Anery, but I haven't decided to take that route yet. By the way, that's a beautiful Lavender you have there.

As to how to tell the difference between a Lavender and an Anery B, that's easy for me. They look totally different in my eyes. A lavender has a much more pastel look, charcoals (Anery Bs) are just a lot darker.

By the way, Kathy is writing an updated version of her book, and I've heard that it will be out sometime this Fall, however, I could be wrong about the release date.

I know I didn't answer all your questions, but I hope that what I did cover helps.
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alstiver@hotmail.com

Current snakes:
1.0 2001 Hypo snow cornsnake
0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost cornsnake
1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
To be added when it gets warmer:
0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake

I know how to tell lav from anery, but when you start using different types of anery, and different types of hypo together, then it gets tricky. That's what I intended to ask.
Sorry if I was unclear, and thanks for all of the other info.
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Jeremy J. Anderson
No one in the world ever gets what they want, and that is beautiful. Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful.

>My questions also include:
>Are either of the Hypo traits co-dominant?

Hypomelanistic is recessive to normal. I don't know about the more recently found.

>What if I get an E g emoryi gene in my amel corn, will I get all 2xhet normals, or are they actually different?

From what I've heard, Don Soderberg considers them independent mutants. Crossing them apparantly produces normal-looking babies. That would make them different mutants and not even alleles.

>Is there a T amelanism trait recognized in Egg yet?

Bern Bechtel tested the original corn snake amelanistic and found that it was negative for tyrosinase. The E. g. emoryi mutant is presumably T positive. However, just remember that "T positive amelanistic" is a code phrase for "I don't have a clue to what this mutant is or is not doing."

And for what it's worth, several mutants in the laboratory mouse are alleles of albino (Tyrosinase negative). These mutants (chinchilla, himalayan, etc.) produce various defective types of tyrosinase that can produce L-DOPA from tryosine, but the defective forms of tyrosinase are not as efficient as the tyrosinase produced by the normal allele. If one such turns up, do we call it "tyrosinase sorta-negative amelanistic"?

IMHO, using "tyrosinase negative amelanistic" and "tyrosinase positive amelanistic" is laughably simplistic.

>Is Lavender considered "Type C" Anerythrism?

No. It is lavender. Unique name for a unique mutant.

>How do I tell the difference between an anery type b/lavender and an anery type b/hypo type b or all of the variations of GHOST?

No idea.

BTW, nobody knows the genetics of Miami phase. Somebody ought to work it out. And as far as I know, Shawn Lockhart has the best grasp of corn snake genetics of anybody I know.

Another thing -- the biochemistry of pigment formation and other causes of color/pattern oddities is so complex that grouping the mutants into amelanistic A and B or hypomelanistic A, B, and C is likely to be counter productive. Standard genetics practice is to give each mutant a unique name and group the allelic mutants by locus.

Paul Hollander