New Genetic Lines?

[justindh1]

So it has been a bit since I have posted anything. Life has really been a hectic rush of a jumbled mess lately. Sometimes I feel like my heart is going to explode from all the stress but that still doesn't stop me from thinking about geckos.

The reason I am posting is there is one thing that I have been noticing in the last few years with leopard geckos. I have seen a high volume of breeders who have come out with "new genetic lines" of leopard gecko morphs. The are many breeders with tangerine, snow, or etc lines. There are some in which I can see the uniqueness but most of the time they are no different then what is in the gene pool already. There are so many genetic lines of tangerines, snows, and others that it has become hard to really tell the difference between them. Most are not worthy of being called a new genetic line in my opinion. It seems that many are just two different lines bred together. Maybe it's a ego thing that makes people believe that they have something new.

I guess that this is kind of a rant but just wanted to see what others opinions are. What do you thing about the flood of new genetic lines? How long do you think a line should be worked with before anything can be considered new?

 

[GeckoGathering]

Whats a Morph?

So it has been a bit since I have posted anything. Life has really been a hectic rush of a jumbled mess lately. Sometimes I feel like my heart is going to explode from all the stress but that still doesn't stop me from thinking about geckos.

The reason I am posting is there is one thing that I have been noticing in the last few years with leopard geckos. I have seen a high volume of breeders who have come out with "new genetic lines" of leopard gecko morphs. The are many breeders with tangerine, snow, or etc lines. There are some in which I can see the uniqueness but most of the time they are no different then what is in the gene pool already. There are so many genetic lines of tangerines, snows, and others that it has become hard to really tell the difference between them. Most are not worthy of being called a new genetic line in my opinion. It seems that many are just two different lines bred together. Maybe it's a ego thing that makes people believe that they have something new.

I guess that this is kind of a rant but just wanted to see what others opinions are. What do you thing about the flood of new genetic lines? How long do you think a line should be worked with before anything can be considered new?

Well Justin, I can't add much to what you threaded here.
Kinda like you read my mind.
Ego + a cash rush to a new morph name seem to
make noticeable change pretty minor with some.
Take care. HJ



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[stager]

I've seen a few that I just don't get. I guess its done just to spark new business and make money.

 

[a.malandruccolo]

same genetics, different variations of selective breeding

 

[a.malandruccolo]

examples are tangerine tornados vs hiss electric tangerines same concept just color or pattern differences

 

[Dimidiata]

I hate it when people advertise there line as a whole new set of genetics. Some people will say they have say, The Dimidiata tangarine line. A line name is fine, saying you bred your tangs for a certain quaility color or such. But saying that these dimidiata tangs are all new and never seen before is bull.

 

[jski711]

Coming from the hobby of saltwater reef tanks I am seeing the same thing here as I did within the reefing hobby. There are so many clownfish now and everyone is putting his or her name on the and calling them "New". Same thing happens with corals except that's even more of a joke. I guess its just a marketing ploy but it is frustrating.

 

[KelliH]

examples are tangerine tornados vs hiss electric tangerines same concept just color or pattern differences

My Electrics don't look like any of the other Tang lines. That's because I worked at selectively breeding the line to achieve a particular look.

If someone selectively breeds a line like that and it has a distinctly different look then I think it's perfectly fine to give it a name to distinguish it (Firewaters would be a good example of this as well).

Now I do agree with you to some extent when these morphs have several different names and they all look the same (Galaxy/Super Snow Eclipse/Total Eclipse for example).

 

[justindh1]

I am in no way knocking down and morph out there that has been line bred and without a doubt is unique, such as the Electrics. There are many proven and visually different genetic morphs right now. I am just talking about individuals who come out with their specific line of a morph only after a year or two of breeding a specific group. The way I look at it, the geckos I produce were bred by me. They are not my line of snows, bandits, tangs, raptors, and etc. I don't feel right calling them my line of what ever unless they are something totally unique in itself. I guess it's nothing really important but something that I felt like bringing up.

 

[lillith]

I remember someone once saying that if you have put three to five seasons of selective breeding for different results, then it's within reason to call your project its own line. It's always good to tell where you got the genetics that you started your line with, but I think if you have put in the work and the effort, there's no reason you shouldn't be proud of that. Of course there is some ego involved. That doesn't diminish the hard work involved.