| Willis Wildlife Enterprises |
| Striped Motley |
Of the pattern morphs, the striped motley is tied with zigzag
as my favorite. The motley gene can express itself in a
variety of pattern types including hurricane, pin-striped,
Q-tipped and all combinations in between. Originally,
many enthusiasts, myself included, had thought that
individuals showing this pattern type contained both a
motley and a stripe gene, as they are alleles. However, it
has since been shown that in such a combination, the
motley gene is dominant over the stripe gene in the
phenotype. This pattern type also occurs in individuals that
are homozygous for motley. Many breeders, to avoid
confusion, are using this name strictly as a description of
the pattern type and using the term "motley het stripe" to
identify those individuals that carry one of each gene.
"Motley het stripe" may not be 100% technically accurate,
but it does a fairly good job at avoiding any confusion as to
the exact genetics of an individual.
as my favorite. The motley gene can express itself in a
variety of pattern types including hurricane, pin-striped,
Q-tipped and all combinations in between. Originally,
many enthusiasts, myself included, had thought that
individuals showing this pattern type contained both a
motley and a stripe gene, as they are alleles. However, it
has since been shown that in such a combination, the
motley gene is dominant over the stripe gene in the
phenotype. This pattern type also occurs in individuals that
are homozygous for motley. Many breeders, to avoid
confusion, are using this name strictly as a description of
the pattern type and using the term "motley het stripe" to
identify those individuals that carry one of each gene.
"Motley het stripe" may not be 100% technically accurate,
but it does a fairly good job at avoiding any confusion as to
the exact genetics of an individual.
