and the "hypo pastels" or true hypo melanistic dragons.
In reptiles there is an epidermal and a dermal layer of skin. Each layer has its own malanophores. In the epidermas the malnophores synthesize melanin and it is carried to the surface by tubes. This I believe in beradies is when you see them in they're dark phase when they are trying to warm up, when a males beard goes black, etc. In the dermis there are also melanophores. These melanophores operate independantly of the the epidermal melanophores. They also aid in the occurence of color change into adulthood; later, they aren't as functional after adult color is reached.
I believe that in the "marketed hypos" the dermal melanophores are disfunctional resulting in the inability to produce the vibrant colors of one of the parents or other genes in the gene pool. I thnk whatever is going wrong with them also effects the ability to produce what they need to get teh color to come in. SO possibly it is coupled with a xanthophore problem. It also explains why they are light on the surface as opposed to a normal but can still get dark at times such as when they are cold and they're beard can still turn black.
So are they hypos? In my opinion yes. I think that the difference between the two is that "true hypos" are completely lacking the ability to produce or synthesize melanin, where the the other line of hypos have dermal melanophore disfunction (possibly coupled or somehow directly causing a xanthophore disfunction.) Also the "true hypos" are proved out recessive and the hypos are either hereditary or co-dom.
Can anyone esle add any insight to this? I'm still researching this genetics thing and thought this would be fun to share.
Later,
Robert WOod
