Color & pattern variations in cornsnakes


	[Melanins] [Erythrins] [Patterns] [Selection] [Combos] [Oddities] [A-what-istic???]

Melanin is the most common pigment in the animal kingdom and is responsible for the blacks, browns, and some pink tones on cornsnakes. There are several genes which affect the quantity or quality of the melanins.
· Amelanism completely removes the black pigment. These albinos also have pink/red eyes. The Candycane, Sunglow, and Reverse Okeetee morphs are selectively bred variations based on this trait.

· Ultra is an allele to amelanism. It produces a melanin-reduced effect without altering the pattern. As such, Ultra is currently the only opportunity to produce wide-bordered hypo corns. The pupils are ruby, and on many hatchlings the irises are blue or green. Between these two mutant alleles, there can be Amel/Amel (amelanistic) and Amel/Ultra (ultramel) and Ultra/Ultra genotypes. It is currently undetermined whether Ultra/Amel specimens can be reliably separated from Ultra/Ultra specimens by a visual examination alone.

· Hypomelanism is a generic term for "reduced melanin" and it is also the common name of the first melanin-reducing trait to be discovered. Hypo also has a mild pattern effect: a tendency to reduce the size of the border areas. You will hear references to "hypo types" and this is simply referring to the generic sense: reduction of melanin. The other melanin-reducing genes have no relationship to hypo other than the way we choose to categorize them.

· Sunkissed is a melanin reducer and also has some effect on the pattern. This gene originally popped up in Kathy Love's Okeetee lines, thus many of these snakes still show considerable Okeetee influence. As they continue to be outcrossed they will split more and more clearly into groups of sunkissed versus sunkissed Okeetees.

· Lava is a very extreme melanin reducer. Some specimens have flecks of black where the borders would normally be found, and are called "paradox lavas." Hatchlings can appear almost amelanistic, and have ruby eyes.

· Dilute is the mildest known melanin reducer. It also tends to leave the snake in cool tones.

· Christmas is another melanin reducer. It is currently unknown if this gene is an allele to any of the above genes. This will be determined over the next few years by breeding trials.

Other lines have been tested and proved compatible with previously known hypos, for example Dream and Strawberry proved compatible with the Hypo gene. The exact nature of the Strawberry gene is still being worked out, and it may turn out to be a second mutant allele at the hypo locus.


	[Melanins] [Erythrins] [Patterns] [Selection] [Combos] [Oddities] [A-what-istic???]

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