Question: Melanoid Golden Albino?

[jmsstoner]

I happened to notice that my golden albino seems to lack shiny rings around its eyes. Wondering if its possibly a melanoid golden albino. I know its possible to be both melanoid and albino. And im pretty sure my golden and my melanoid are from the same clutch since I got them at the same time from the same person. I posted some pictures below. Let me know what you think.

 

[auntiejude]

You can't have a golden melanoid - it's one or the other. A melanoid will have all the pigment cell migration suppressed, and at best you might get a few xanthaphores on its head, so it can't be golden. Golden albinos have yellow pigment cells and iridophres all over. But you can have a white/melanoid or axanthic albino that goes yellow with age due to the accumulation of riboflavins.

 

[jmsstoner]

Thanks for the info. I wasnt aware that the golden's yellow pigment was caused by iridiphores.

 

[seagull]

its my general observation that goldies have tons of iridiophores on the gills and thin parts of the tail
i dont see any in yours so its likely a melanoid albino

 

[auntiejude]

Thanks for the info. I wasnt aware that the golden's yellow pigment was caused by iridiphores.

It's not.
Albino genes suppress the production of melanophores (brown/black) - hence the pink colour and pink eyes.
Melanoid genes suppress the production of iridophores (shiney) and xanthaphores (yellow), these are replaced by melanophores in wild types, but in an albino the melanophores are already suppressed, so the animal lacks any colour and shiney bits.
An axanthic albino has no xanthaphores, and iridophores are also reduced.
A white albino may be genetically coded for colour pigments, but the white genes suppress the migration of those cells from the neural crest (head and spine).
It's hard to tell axanthic, white and melanoid albinos apart - they all look pretty similar.
Therefore, if an albino has iridophores it has xanthaphores, and is golden.

So an albino can either be golden with iridophores, or melanoid which is paler and has no iridophores, but not both.

 

[Alkylhalide]

This guy looks like an axanthic albino in all honesty. I have a axanthic and a melanoid albino and they look completely different(on close inspection) if i put two pictures together.. I find melanoid albinos tend to have yellow eyes where axanthics have pink eyes as they lack the xanthophores.

 

[auntiejude]

I have a axanthic and a melanoid albino and they look completely different(on close inspection) if i put two pictures together.

I said they were hard to differentiate, not impossible! When you put the 2 side by side it is much easier, and if you have experience and an understanding of the genetics it is easier

I find melanoid albinos tend to have yellow eyes where axanthics have pink eyes as they lack the xanthophores.

That makes sense, melanoids have reduced xanthaphores not a complete absence, yellow in the eyes sounds reasonable.

 

[Kaysie]

Golden and melanoid are not mutually exclusive.

Golden albinos are a/a, D/-, M/-. This means that melanin is absent (albino), all the color cells (that exist) have migrated, and the animal is not melanoid (it has iridophores).
Golden melanoids are a/a, D/-, m/m. That is, an absence of melanin (albino), color cells have migrated, and iridophores are absent and reduced xanthophore expression.

Given the paleness on this animal, it may be axanthic (I don't think yours is though, Alkylhalide. You can see the xanthophores on its head.).

Melanism causes animals to have reduced xanthophores and have no iridophores (it has nothing to do with color cell migration, that's leucism), making golden albinos appear less-than-golden, with no shiny patches. They're pale, unflashy gold albinos.