Axolotl color: genotypes/phenotypes!

Okay, so for the past too many hours I made these photos with explanations on the side. This is from many delving into a couple of sites and research on axolotl color.

If I've made a mistake, please let me know so I can change it

Those hatchlings are about 3 months old? and 2.5-3" long.

Pic 1 shows of some 6.5 week old hatchlings, at probably 1.5" in length. with varying degrees of dark melanoid and wildtype.

Pic 2 shows the difference between 2 true white albinos, and the third which is either a melanoid albino or axanthic albino.

Whoops.. messed up white melanoid non-albino: Here's the fixed one:

This is great!!!! Very helpful for me.

Great information and very well presented.

Unfortunately, it seems I have to forgot everything I have learnt about angelfish genetics to get my head around this puzzle.

Thank you so much for putting this together

For those that know nothing about genetics, hopefully this might help understand the photos!

There are 4 recessive mutant genes that affect axolotl color. Each gene has 2 alleles (one on each chromosome <contains genetic info>, which come in pairs<one from mom, one from dad>). Let's use albinism for example. If both alleles are recessive (noted with an under case letter), a/a, then that mutant gene will be in effect, and the individual will be albino. If it has a dominant allele (noted with an uppercase), A/- it will not be albino. The dash indicates not knowing whether or not the second allele is dominant or recessive. If an individual was A/a, it CARRIES one allele for albinism so it is possible for some of its offspring to be albino, however it will not be. If an individual was A/A it doe NOT carry the gene for albinism so it is impossible for any of it's offspring to be albino.

Of the 4 color gene expressions, three are pigment mutants, meaning they effect presence or absence of specific chromatophores (color pigments). The other is a developmental mutant which affects the migration of the pigments.

Developmental mutant:
D/- greater number of yellow xanthophores develop
d/d - normal pigment cells produced, however they do not migrate off neural crest during development, and so animal appears white in color, but may have a few spots around head/gills, sometimes body (places along neural crest)

Recessive pigment mutants:
M/- no effect; individual will not lack iridiophores (results in shiny iridescence around eye, on gills and body)
m/m - individual will lack iridiophores; greater number of melanophores develop
A/- no effect; individual will not be albino
a/a - individual will be albino; lacks melanophores (black/brown pigments), greater number of xanthophores develop (yellow and reddish pigments)
AX/- - no effect; individual will not lack xanthophores
ax/ax - individual will lack xanthophores

I know in 2 of the photos I put A/a - I made them late last night so please just look at it as A/- as I don't know what the second allele is!

What about these guys? White melanoid? They have black dots from their face down their back no spots anywhere else, none on gills or legs or tummy or anythig

Sorry i can only post one picture per post with my phone

Alkylhalide said:

What about these guys? White melanoid? They have black dots from their face down their back no spots anywhere else, none on gills or legs or tummy or anythig

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My white melanoids looked like that when they were younger - most lost the dotting but I still have one that still is spotty all over back and face Leucistics look like this too at that age, except the iris is not black :3 The spotting like that is because they are homozygous for d/d - this leads to the pigmentation staying around the neural crest as they grow. Like leucistics, some as adults will have some spots on head/back, but some won't ^_^

I have a feeling this will come in quite handy when I finally get mine. I like to be a huge nerd and know exactly what I have (I did the same thing when I got my ferrets...not as far as the geno/phenotyping goes, but as far as what crazy specific colorings they were).

knyptozoologist said:

I have a feeling this will come in quite handy when I finally get mine. I like to be a huge nerd and know exactly what I have (I did the same thing when I got my ferrets...not as far as the geno/phenotyping goes, but as far as what crazy specific colorings they were).

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Hehe i am like that as well with more then just pets but really anything i need to know exactly what i have.

Good info. Thanks!

Great work! Love the thread!

Thank you for posting and making these! I was needing to see something like this. Nice job

This is very confusing to me and I kind of get it but not really... I have been trying configure out what my juvie is and I'm really not sure. Also is my golden albino really a golden albino or is it something else...she is really pale for a golden I feel.



First pic is the little juvie

Second pic is my golden albino?

The first one is for sure a golden albino, not sure if it is gfp or not, it almost looks like it has a greenish tint. Second one I am pretty sure is a dull golden albino, but may be a yellowish white albino.

I have two albinos, and it has only been the last few weeks that I have noticed that one is a melanoid albino(Yellow tinge, but no gold specks or ring in eyes) and then my other one(Nike the one with the bent tail) He is white, and pink gills, not a single sign of yellow at all on him. just pure white. is he still a melanoid albino? no gold, no ring in eyes

I remember reading that sometimes when a lotl is not so active it gets paler, but trust me, Nike is super freaking active! my juveniles sometimes worry me they are so active!

Here is Nike, I dont have one of Puma

Edit: I lied, here is a picture of Nike and Puma, you can kind of see the color difference in this
Btw these two are both the retards of my batch of eggs I raised, but hey they add personality to them <3 Nike has a bent tail, which seems to be correcting itself as he grows, which is awesome because at 10days old I didnt think he'd make it, and Puma was a casualty in a turkey baster incident when he was a baby and lost most of his gills, all grew back but on one side two of the three pieces are stuck together, hehe its like a super thick gill and the other side, though not much damage happened, he grew a 4th feather in between <3 lmao and one side is longer then the other.

I think the word handicapped much better suits them....

RupertxGiles said:

I think the word handicapped much better suits them....

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I was thinking unique they definatelyturned out different. But i cant ask for anything more. Toothless was the only one originally we were going to keep but i just couldnt let these two go they have personality!