As I was handfeeding one of my hatchlings tonight I noticed that it was beginning to exhibit a more and more prominent fire pattern. The thing that is odd about this pattern is that it isn't cream, yellow, orange, or a combination of these colors. The pattern seems to be expressed in a white pigment that, when combined with the base color, comes across as more of a grey. I have a female that is practically fire engine red when she colors up at night, except for a light white fire pattern down her back. It got me thinking tonight about the possibility of a co-dominant/recessive color trait that is associated with the fire pattern itself. The obviously more common and dominant color of the pattern would be the combinations of "color" that are really just variations on yellow. Whereas, the recessive "color" of the pattern could be white. The mother of this gecko is a dark rust tiger, and the father is a partial pinstriped harlequin, so the basis for this gene expression would definitely be possible. The mother also has a fair number of red dalmation spots, so I'm kinda curious to see if this is passed onto her offspring. Has anyone else on here encountered this or have any thoughts on the matter?
I think it is only a matter of time before we crack the code on these polymorphic mysteries. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself!
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