Melanin question.

[RandyRhoads]

Hoping to finally get this straight, and I know this would be the place to do it.

Melanistic= complete lack of melanocytes - albinism
Hypo-melanistic= Melaninogenesis is less productive resulting/There are less melanocytes, resulting in just a little more faint pattern

Correct?

[infernalis]

Melanistic = Over production of melanin, resulting in a completely black snake.

Hypo - produces much less melanin, but still has a little.

Albino - completely lacking all melanin.

A melanistic garter snake I have.... He's awesome.

http://www.thamnophis.us/shoot/MW1.jpg

[RandyRhoads]

Thanks Wayne, I should have known that by now.

Curious why Melanistic isn't called Herpermelanistic.

So should hypos be easy to spot? I got into a local shop and can't really see much difference in the "Hypo" RTBs and regulars...

Is hypomelanism recesive like albinism? Would you have to breed 2 hypos for a hypo litter? A hypo and 100% het hypo for a 50/50 liter? Or is it just some sort of random birth defect?

[infernalis]

People produce hypo's on purpose.

A hypo has Grey where the black should be.

It's reproducible through selective breeding.

We now have varying degrees of melanin production getting new morph names and such virtually every breeding season.

[millertime89]

you're not kidding about varying degrees on morphs. I was just looking through all the BP combos possible, and some just seem to be new names people are giving to the same morphs with different patterns. Seems ridiculous to me.
Genetic Wizard 3.0 - World of Ball Pythons (http://www.worldofballpythons.com/wizard/)

[blindfireak40]

It is a little mind-boggling, isn't it?? The important thing to note is this: Whenever a new gene (not gene combo, but gene) pops up, it is "proven genetically independent" before it can be considered a new gene.

For corn snakes, for example, there are 3 types of Anerythrism (Lack in red pigment): Anerythristic types A, B, and C. They all look fairly similar, however, you can not get an Anery animal by breeding an Anery A to an Anery B. The genes are independent.

The same is true for Hypomelanism in most snakes, and Amelanism in BCI.

[bladeblaster]

Melanistic = Over production of melanin, resulting in a completely black snake.

Hypo - produces much less melanin, but still has a little.

Albino - completely lacking all melanin.

A melanistic garter snake I have.... He's awesome.



A slight correction if I may

Amelanistic - completely lacking in melanin

Albino - lacking in a pigment, not necessarily melanin, hence 'black albino'

[RandyRhoads]

Whoa. Sounds like a big scary world of genetics out there.

So melanocytes produce melanin, and melanin can be any variety of varying colors?

I understand a bit about selective breeding. Can humans produce synthetic messenger RNA to alter DNA to alter patterns or color variations?


BTW Wayne he does look awesome.

[millertime89]

a black albino would be BA, don't think I've ever seen something labeled that before.

[bladeblaster]

a black albino would be BA, don't think I've ever seen something labeled that before.

axthanics are often refered to as black albinos

[infernalis]

This little snake was the result of an experiment done a few years ago by a friend.

He bred a melanistic to an albino to try and make a snow.

wound up producing a few "dirty snow" snakes. I ended up with one of them.

http://www.thamnophis.net/Gartersnakes/images/sflake.jpg

[blindfireak40]

axthanics are often refered to as black albinos

As are Anerythristics :)