Question: Melanoid question

In a mel to mel breeding what % of offspring would be melanoid?

Since melanoid is a recessive gene the offspring should all be homozygous for melanoid but if both parents carry other genes like albinism theres a chance for albino babies.

I was curious how many would express the melanistic gene

Elliriyanna said:

I was curious how many would express the melanistic gene

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it depends on what the parents carry, If you know what the grandparents are it makes it a little easier to figure out.
lets use this:
melanoid = m/m where M is the wild type phenotype
albino = a/a where A is wild type for that
leucistic = d/d, D is wild type
there are others but lets just use these,
If both your melanoids is m/m, A/A, D/D, then expect 100% melanoid
If both your parents are m/m, A/a, D/D then you have the chance of getting melanoids, and melanoid albinos,
You see how important it is knowing all the genes your axolotls have now? this didn't even include axanthic genes or other pigment combinations. even when you think you know they go ahead and surprise you.
If you are really trying to breed melanoids don't expect the genetics to be easy but please avoid line breeding unless you know what you are doing.

Trust me I am a firm believer in not line breeding unless you absolutely have to. I am getting two more axolotls and I have a female so i know breeding is possible I do not know my girls lineage but I can find out the lineage of the two I am getting

yeah thats the best way to get an idea of the percentage of babies. Its also not exact so don't be surprised if you have a color you didn't expect. Since you are breeding two melanoids I think wild type can be ruled out since the melanoid gene is recessive.

Its pretty easy to rehome anything but wild types. if I decide to raise any

I wish more people saw the beauty of wild types.





leucistics/albinos/melanoids etc are all cool from a genetic point of view but I love seeing animals displaying their natural colors

Elliriyanna said:

I was curious how many would express the melanistic gene

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All of them. Since melanism is a simple recessive a melanoid x melanoid pairing produces 100% melanoid babies - they don't have any dominant M genes between them.

But Boomsloth is right, the other genes will dicate other colour characteristics.

I love wild types I just do not like isophores ... So I will not own any little ones with them. I tried getting over it and I just cant.

auntiejude said:

All of them. Since melanism is a simple recessive a melanoid x melanoid pairing produces 100% melanoid babies - they don't have any dominant M genes between them.

But Boomsloth is right, the other genes will dicate other colour characteristics.

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A homogeneous melanoid/melanoid pairing throws up melanoid albinos as well, have to ask a geneticist why as I haven't a clue.

xxianxx said:

A homogeneous melanoid/melanoid pairing throws up melanoid albinos as well, have to ask a geneticist why as I haven't a clue.

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Only if BOTH parents are heterozygous for the albinism gene. If neither has it (i.e. they are A/A rather than A/a) then you cannot get albino offspring. (If they were homozygous - a/a - they'd be albinos themselves, therefore to look dark AND carry the albinism gene, they HAVE to be A/a).