Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I feel kind of silly asking, but I guess this is the place? Is it just a reduction in the melanin or a complete lack? Is it always "true" breeding? Additionally, are grays and browns affected by melanin?

Thanks,
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Zoodude

"Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't after me."

Hypomelanism is a reduction in the black pigment not a complete lack of. Albinism is a complete lack of black pigment. In a Hypo. animal, the black is usually replaced by a lavendar colour in neanoate specimens. It can be more difficult to differentiate in adults depending on what species you are working with. These mutants can usually be bred out to prove genetic but one never knows until it is proven.

>I feel kind of silly asking, but I guess this is the place?

This is the place. These are good questions; there is no need to feel silly.

>Is it just a reduction in the melanin or a complete lack?

A reduction.

To make matters worse, you have to be careful to differentiate between hypomelanistic, the name of a particular mutant gene, and hypomelanistic, the condition produced by the reduction of melanin. In corn snakes, the mutant gene named hypomelanistic produces the hypomelanistic condition, a reduction in the amount of melanin. The mutant gene named charcoal also reduces the amount of melanin but has no other relation to hypomelanistic mutant gene. So charcoal is hypomelanistic in the generic sense but not by name. Sort of like Mr. White is a white man, and Mr. Pallid is also a white man but is no relation to Mr. White.

>Is it always "true" breeding?

No, not always. If the reduction in melanin is caused by a single recessive gene, then it is true breeding. If it is caused by some sort of dominant gene, like pastel in ball pythons or salmon in boa constrictors, then it can be made true breeding by inbreeding but is not when outbred. If the reduction in melanin is caused by selective breeding, then it may take several generations to get fully back after an outbreeding.

>Additionally, are grays and browns affected by melanin?

Yes. Melanin makes black pigment in snakes and many other vertebrates. But if you look in the newspaper comics, you can see how shades of gray can be simulated by the amount of white space between black dots. Grays can be produced the same way in animals. Browns can be produced by melanin alone or by a mix of melanin and yellow pigment. In mammals, melanin comes in both black and yellow colors. In snakes, yellow is produced through a non-melanin biochemical method.

Paul Hollander

n/p