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Differentiating between axanthic and melanoid albino

bugdozer

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Among my juvenile axies there are two surviving albinos - one has noticeable iridophores so I think it is a white albino. The other one doesn't. So I guess it is either an axanthic or melanoid albino. How does one determine the difference between these two types in a very young animal? Is it even possible to do so? According to the axolotl.org guide, axanthic and melanoid albino axies look basically the same.
 

auntiejude

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No iridophores = melanoid. It's likely to have some yellow pigment spots.
No yellow = axanthic - no yellow spots, but may have silver (not gold) iridophores (I think the article on axolotl.org refers to the specific axie pictured)
 

bugdozer

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It has no discernible iridophores and no discernable yellow spots.
The axolotl.org colour guide says that neither axanthic albinos nor melanoid albinos have any iridophores - not just melanoid ones. It says that melanoid albinos have a very small amount of yellow in places, but in the picture they have of a full grown adult example, it's really hard to see it. In one as young as mine, if the yellow was that sparse it would be undetectable. Here's a picture of it:
 

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auntiejude

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On the surface genetics is simple - but it's never as easy as it should be.

D genes control the 'base' color of an axie, D/- = dark, d/d = white
A genes control albinism, A/- = non albino, a/a = albino
M genes control iridophores, M/- = iridophores, m/m = no iridophores (melanoid)
AX genes control xanthaphores (yellow spots) AX/- = yellow, ax/ax = no yellow

So an axanthic albino may have iridophores if it is ax/ax and M/m
I believe the article you refer to is explaining the axie in th photo, not all axanthic albinos (but I may be wrong). An axie would have to be d/d m/m a/a and ax/ax in order to be albino, melanoid, white and axanthic.

You baby really isn't big enough to make an accurate determination of phenotype yet, you'll have to wait a little longer. My wildtype babies didn't appear to develop iridophores until they were several weeks old, and my albino babies didn't develop a gold colour until they even older.

If you know what the parents are it may help determine the genetics of the babies.
 

bugdozer

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The parents are a wild type (mother) and some sort of albino or leucistic (father) - I didn't get a good look at him when I was scooping the eggs out of the tank. At a rough calculation I'd say about 10% of the babies were albino looking, with no leucistic ones (none of the pale babies had black eyes) and all the rest were wild type looking. Even from hatching, some of the pale ones had shiny eyes, and they developed iridophores. Sadly, all except one of the shiny eyes has died. Most of the wild type looking ones have developed iridophores and I didn't see any dark melanoid ones in the bunch.
 

Alkylhalide

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9u8y6e2u.jpg
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Here are pictures of my axanthic and my melanoid albinos. A white or pure albino will have no xanthophores nor melanin but will have iridophores. Goldens have xanthophores and iridophores

Axanthic. Lacks everything
Melanoid albino lacks everything but the xanthophores
 

auntiejude

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My reading says that the ax/ax genotype reduces iridophores and and melanophores, but does not eliminate them, and the d/d genotype prevents the pigment cells migrating, so an axanthic albino could show small numbers of iridophores. So an axanthic may look very similar to a white or melanoid albino. Hence all the confusion!

However, in bugdozer's case we only have wildtype and albino babies, and no leucistics. If ax and m recessive genes were in the mix we'd see this in the wildtypes too - no leucistics say d genes aren't expressed. I would say the albino babies are possible golden, just 2 different shades, but you have to bear in mind that even a general colour type has variation within the type.
 
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