Astral Champions!!! The Fire Opal Project
Cara Cara: 2025 Female Sharp, Blood, Hog Island (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Cheeto: 2025 Male Red Pastel Sharp, Blood, Jungle (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Satsuma: 2024 Male, Sharp, Blood, Hypo, Labby (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Citron: 2023 Female, Purple Sharp, Leopard (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Lemon: 2023 Female, Sharp, Motley, Het Blood (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Mandarin: 2023 Female, Sharp, Hypo, Jungle, Het Blood (Future Breeder Not for Sale)
Genetics in our Fire Opal Project
Purple & Red Sharp Albino Lines
The Sharp strain of T-negative albinism was first discovered by Brian Sharp in the early 1990's. It is recognized for its crisp, vibrant, and bright colors that often deepen and become more defined with age. The Sharp strain also typically have striking red eyes and a high contrast between body color and markings. In our project we have selected line breed polygenic genetic traits from the purple and red variations of the Sharp recessive genotype.
Blood
This recessive gene originating from dwarf boas in El Salvador is the secret sauce in our project! We strive for the most vibrant visual expression in our selection process. This morph gives boas both a smaller size and significantly more intense and deeply saturated red and black coloring, especially in the head and back regions. The blood gene also gives a more iridescent quality to the project, making them seem to glow or shimmer.
Hypomelanism (Hypo)
This incomplete dominant genetic morph affects both the markings and the overall color pallet for the project. On the surface Hypo reduces black pigment (melanin), but in our project it helps to reduce and clean up banding, brighten colors, and create a more ethereal overall expression. We also feel it makes the reds and oranges appear brighter and more saturated.
Labyrinth
As an incomplete dominant the Labyrinth morph has a super form called Crystal that creates a very distinctive blue-eyed Lucistic boa when fully expressed. In our project we work with the incomplete form of the Labyrinth gene for its propensity to break up the tradition saddle-shaped patterns seen in the normal boa form and replace it with an intricate lateral maze-like pattern. The gene also assists in cleaning up the background patterns and further lightening the overall color pallet of the project.
IMG (Increasing Melanism Gene)
This incomplete dominant gene was first credited to Peter Kahl in 2007. As its name implies this gene causes boas to gradually become darker and darker with each shed. When born boas with this gene may express with black speckling on the head, but otherwise typically appear as normal type boas. In our project we use the IMG gene to increase the contrast and improve overall pattern.
Anery (Anerythristic Type 1)
This recessive gene removes red and sometimes yellows from the color pallet for boas. With the absence of the red hue, it is possible to create silvers, greys and even green hues. In our project we expect to create intense silver and green morphs when combined with the other genes in the project.
Leopard
This morph has some controversy on which category it falls into, recessive or incomplete dominant. Many have observed that with a single copy of the gene, individuals appear to express a bowtie like pattern change in the saddles. When two genes are present the visual expression can be significantly divergent. Dorsal patterns can range from spots and dashes to stripes or even a combination of both. Leopard can also express changes in a color to a golden head, red chin or pink, red or orange bellies. On the face of the boa, Leopard can produce unique patterning that resemble whiskers. The gene also typically express a smaller size as the gene originates with Sonoran Boas from Mexico, which are smaller than the traditional Columbian boas.
Motley
The Motley morph is an incomplete dominant gene that expresses with a distinctive broken or jagged pattern in the saddles along the boas back. With a single copy of the gene boas present with a clean clear edged back pattern, lack of speckling on the belly and a ladder pattern on the tail. Unfortunately, the "super" form of the Motley gene is known to have sever genetic defects. When combined with other morphs the motley gene creates a variety or unique characteristics.
Jungle
This incomplete dominant morph was first discovered in Sweden by Lars Brandle and creates aberrant saddles, a grainy yet distinct lateral line and a broken head spear. It also enhances the vibrance and saturation of the dominant color pallet and when combined with other morphs pushes the visual expression to a high level. This genetic morph also has a super form that tends to fail to thrive and is avoided by most breeders.