Copper is a distict genetic trait, the same as albino or melanoid. You need 2 recessive copper genes (c/c) for a copper axie.
The technical bit - copper is a type of albino, tyrosine positive albino. It means that they can't produce normal melanin (brown/black eumelanin) because the process is halted by the copper gene, and instead they produce an alternative form of melanin (red/brown pheomelanin).
reviving an old thread becasue i have a theory about "coppers" that i have yet to see others discuss
A. Andersoni hybrid mutation
this is coming off a 2 day spree of reading studies about the origin of golden albino being tiger salamander DNA and the origin of lucisim being an odd white mutant collected and bred by french scientists.
seriously, how has this not come up before? all it would take is one DNA test to confirm but i havent seen any study or even post about the possibility. Tyrosine was one of the key factors in determining the presence of tiger salamander DNA (Source:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-00059-1 ) "Sequencing of additional axolotls revealed that all albino individuals were homozygous for tiger salamander tyr a (N = 12) whereas wild-type individuals were either heterozygous for tyr a or homozygous for axolotl-derived tyr alleles (N = 11)." - basically this study leads me to believe that non-axolotl or tiger salamander DNA could possibly be the cause for a new form of albanism (copper)
i think its not that far fetched that these spotty, greenish and (maybe its just me) stout tailed "coppers" may be partial Anderson's Salamanders..... im especially suspicious of all the European breeders who claim to have "invented" copper, ive come across no less then 4 breeders who claim such in my various google inquiries. Add the fact that they seem more common in Australia (where some poor customs agent likely couldnt tell an andersoni from a wild axolotl if my theory is correct) and you get a closed gene pool for hybrids to backbreed into less andersoni shapes but retain color genes, just like the original spliced albino axolotls.
the spot pattern and lack of normal pigment expression is really what makes me suspect such, if you look at threads of hybrid andersoni/mexicanum the 1/4 andersoni crosses are pretty similar. i have had 0 luck turning up a photo of an albino andersoni but they must exist, i want others opinions but im considering eventually getting my hands on a "copper" and having its dna tested against a. andersoni if possible.
if anyone has pics of albino andersoni that would also be helpful
