my baby axies, what colour are they??

[cherryscented]

Here are 2 out of my 17 axolotls they're only 1 week old so they're teeny tiny! Both of their parents are leucistic, but they all look like they are going to be wild type to me? Is this because they are so young and their skin is thin and see through?

 

[Kaysie]

Between leucistic and wildtype, sometimes you can't tell until they get a little bigger.

 

[Cake]

You will probably have to wait till they're about a month old before you can tell for sure....?

It may be the photo, but one appears to have yellowish patches on it. I'm just going to guess it's a wild type...

 

[Genome42]

These are offspring from my axies so I can vouch that the parents are leutistic and therefore both have two 'd' alleles. All offspring should all be leutistic because they can only inherit two 'd' alleles. (using the notation from: http://www.axolotl.org/genetics.htm)
When I had my leutistics as hatchlings they looked the same until they got bigger.
If they don't turn out leutistic I will eat my hat

 

[Cake]

Thanks for the article. I wasn't sure how White/Leucistic colouring works. You said both parents are leucistic and what I gather from reading that article is that White/Leucistic carry two recessive alleles. So then their offspring should be Leucistic too.

Do I have to eat a hat now?

 

[Kaysie]

D'oh. I missed that both parents are leucistic. Sorry!

 

[Genome42]

Lol...no hat eating required!

 

[MCBnerd]

They look pretty wildtype to me. I have a spotted salamander larvae that looks identical and is definitely wildtype.

 

[Kaysie]

If both parents are leucistic, there's no way they can be wildtype. Both parents are d/d, where as wildtype is D/x. So all offspring will be d/d, with no chance of inheriting a D version.

All ambystomatid larvae look similar. They're all in the same genus. Spotted salamanders are not captive bred, and therefore are not selectively bred for traits like axolotls are. All spotted salamanders are 'wildtype', barring some sort of mutation.

 

[lisalee2]

Defently wild type to me. Iv breed quite a few times and i can tell what coulour type they are.

 

[Kaysie]

If both parents are leucistic, there is no way they can be wildtype. See my previous genetic explanation.

 

[oceanblue]

Niki supplied me with some of the same batch of eggs. They were darker than I expected on hatching but with a handle of Genome42 she knows her genetics!

As they grow the patches of black yellow and reflective pigmentation on their head, mid back and halfway down the tail have not grown and they are getting paler and paler.

 

[Daniel]

If both parents are leucistic, there is no way they can be wildtype.

I second Kaysies opinion. Genetics can't be fooled (except some mutations that are quite unlikely).

On a side note: wildtype larvae have dark pigments all down their bodies and heads (even below their eyes and "jowls") where leucistic ones do not. The larvae depicted do not.

Little illustration:
First pic: Leucistic larvae

Second pic: Wild type

 

[Kaysie]

Daniel, thank you for the photo depiction. Although I'm green with envy over your macro skills.