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RAUK - Archived Forum - colour mutation?-Melanism? -update!

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colour mutation?-Melanism? -update!:
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AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy 		Posted: 08 Aug 2003

Hello,

Along with the large ammount of  young toads ive found ( I think they have had quite a succesful year around my area), i found one which did look unusual. It has grey-black skin, which is sort of transloucent. Underneith it is pale, and i can almost see the organs inside it. THe most unususl think about it is that its eyes are compley black, there is not the distingtive bronzy eyes like a normal toad. It doesnt appear to have any of the brownd pigment in it skin, so im wondering wether it could be classed as an albino.

I will try and get a picture but it could be weeks or even months

Thanks

AJfr0ggy

AJfr0ggy38079.6893865741
GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF 		Posted: 08 Aug 2003
sounds interesting, there is a picture on Page 94 of the recently published Amphibians and Reptiles a natural history of the British Herpetofauna (soft back issue) showing an albino common toad, though it's black and white the eye looks like it is pink as would be normal for an albino animal, perhaps yours is melanistic?
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy 		Posted: 09 Aug 2003

I was thinking it may be melatistic, but i think it is completly lacking they pigment which causes brown, which sort of means it would be an albino. Would melanistic have grey transloucent skin?

AJfr0ggy
GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF 		Posted: 09 Aug 2003
Hi, albino would strictly mean lacking any pigment at all, the picture I referred to shows a white animal with pink eyes. I'm not sure of the term for lacking brown pigment, maybe someone else knows?
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
Caleb
Forum Coordinator
Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 448


View other posts by Caleb 		Posted: 12 Aug 2003
I'm no expert, but I think the brown colour is a combination of black and red. If the red pigment is lacking, it would be described as anerythristic, I think.

I guess if it had normal levels of black pigments (melanin?) and no red, it would appear somewhat greyish.

On the subject of albinos, I caught two male albino common toads in 1990 in Ramsey, Cambs. I kept them for several years, and bred one of them with a normally coloured female- I didn't have any luck raising the offspring, though.

I did take some pictures of them, I'll post them here if I can find them.
AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy 		Posted: 12 Aug 2003

wow, i'd love to find an albino

if it were anerythristic, would that be on the ressesive or somminant allele?

thanks

Ajfr0ggy
AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy 		Posted: 18 Aug 2003

Im gutted, the little thing has escaped!
I seached its entire 4' glass avquarium, i found all the toads other than that one. After looking at the viv i decided it may be possibe to jump from the water bowl up to a bit of glass which it could have stuck to, but why the black one out of all 7?
at least it can survive as i found 4 wild ones around it
Im not sure when it escpaed as i last saw it yesterday
Out of all the days it had to be the day before the photo
I may have the chance of finding it in my garden, if not i'd have to wait until next year when all the babies have morphed, providing its a good year. THere is also a small chance that it may be hiding deep in the sibstrate but i cleared all the loose soil. 

I did however take some photos of some wild ones in my garden, i think these are from this year, wuite big allready!


 
AJfr0ggy
AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy 		Posted: 02 Apr 2004

Last week I found this strange male, obviously with the same mutation as the last one:

It is now with a female, and i hope it successfully breeds in my nearby lake where i found it.

AJfr0ggy

- colour mutation?-Melanism? -update!

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