blizzard = codoms not recessives???

[geckomaster]

I 've had this nagging suspicion for a while that the blizzard gene may be a co-dom instead of a recessive. Bear with me as I know it's considered universally as a recessive, and I admit I may be insane, but I'd like to throw this out there. A few years back I noticed that all offspring from blizzards to non-blizzards came out highly speckled and were more apt to be slate-ish in color. Then I got out of geckos for some time and let the idea go. I recently began breeding again with different animals and am noticing the same thing. I also see this in other pictures including one of a gecko I purchased as 50% possible het that displays the same characteristics. This was hit home last night as I was on break at the pet store I work at perusing though one of the leopard gecko books and it was noted in the book that the first blizzard gecko was born from two "highly speckled animals". Now could this subtle "het" version have been overlooked. It seems very similiar to to Mack Snow situation and the morphs have many similarities except that the Macks are identified as co-dominants and blizzards bred out as recessives. So.......I could rant on, but I'd like to open it up to others to elaborate, expand on, and give opinion...or as may be necessary taunt mercilessly (I already said I may be crazy:main_rolleyes

Thanks for reading...

 

[eyelids]

Mark I have pondered the same idea... I believe there's definitely something left to learn about Blizzards... If I get motivated I'll post more of my own insight here... :computer:

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I do not believe the Blizzard is co-dom, but their genetics are not as straight-forward as other simple recessive traits. If it was co-dom, we would get 50% blizzards with any cross pairings, which is not the case. Crosses actually produce hets.

 

[Wandering Paddle]

it is recessive and not dominate. But yes, the high speckling is obvious in the heterozygous individuals and is an obvious het marker...

 

[nwheat]

Those highly speckled hets are common, but does every blizzard het hatch out speckled? I've only hatched a few hets that weren't albino, but they were speckled. Could be that having one blizzard allele causes the speckling, or it could be a separate trait that is near the blizzard gene.

If the speckling is caused by having one blizzard allele, it would be considered co-dominant by the definition used by reptile breeders (heterozygous individuals look different from both normals and homozygous individuals "supers").

 

[BalloonzForU]

it is recessive and not dominate. But yes, the high speckling is obvious in the heterozygous individuals and is an obvious het marker...

I actually wrote in a post last night about markers in Leos in this thread, and used the het Blizzard speckles as an example. I do believe it's a marker and as Nancy said it's not there on all het blizzards, it's just like the pied markers in ball pythons, they're on hets and not on hets and on non hets as well.

 

[geckomaster]

alright, so it's good to know I wasn't completely insane. I didn't take into consideration the comment Marcia made regarding co-doms which does pretty much rule that aspect out. The next question in regard to markers is that they aren't "always" there? I was wondering what causes them and how to spot them. The point being if you are working with 50% or 66% possible hets a marker or "this speckling" could give a great advantage in the right direction for the breeding projects you want...but how reliable is it?

p.s. thanks for the quick input

 

[Wandering Paddle]

as a side note, mack snows het for blizzard generally have cooler jungle patterns than non het blizzard snows. I believe these have been dubbed "funky jungles". i guess this is just another cool aspect of the het marker

 

[BalloonzForU]

alright, so it's good to know I wasn't completely insane. I didn't take into consideration the comment Marcia made regarding co-doms which does pretty much rule that aspect out. The next question in regard to markers is that they aren't "always" there? I was wondering what causes them and how to spot them. The point being if you are working with 50% or 66% possible hets a marker or "this speckling" could give a great advantage in the right direction for the breeding projects you want...but how reliable is it?

p.s. thanks for the quick input

When you breed het x normal or het x het and you hatch out speckled babies, these markers kind of give you an idea that in my opinion only helps but is not 100%. The only way to know 100% is to breed to prove them out. Even some of the non speckled could very well be het as well.

The only time I would even concider looking at markers if I had produced the animals myself know what they could poss be or that I trust the breeder I got them from. But again they are worth and mean nothing till they prove out.

as a side note, mack snows het for blizzard generally have cooler jungle patterns than non het blizzard snows. I believe these have been dubbed "funky jungles". i guess this is just another cool aspect of the het marker

Mack Snows seem to do that with some other recessive hets as well.

 

[eyelids]

I believe these have been dubbed "funky jungles".

:blush:

 

[KelliH]

Those highly speckled hets are common, but does every blizzard het hatch out speckled?

No, all Blizzard hets are not speckled.

 

[gangstar]

Exemple

 

[eyelids]

How about this?

A very good example why I prefer Blizzard hets over Blizzards themselves...

 

[herpencounter]

How about this?

A very good example why I prefer Blizzard hets over Blizzards themselves...

That thing is so freaking cool!!!