Journal of Heredity Advance Access originally published online on January 11, 2006
Journal of Heredity 2006 97(1):89-93; doi:10.1093/jhered/esj010
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Brief Communication |
A Blue Variant in the Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum
From INRA, Station d'Hydrobiologie, St-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France (Blanc and Poisson); and INRA, Laboratoire de Génétique des Poissons, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France (Quillet)
Address correspondence to Dr. Edwige Quillet at the address above, or e-mail: Edwige.Quillet{at}jouy.inra.fr.
A blue variant of the rainbow trout, which appeared in a French fish farm, displayed an iridescent body color that was cobalt blue on the back, lighter on the undersides, and silvery on the belly and which held up to adult stage. This color was supposed to result from a Tyndall effect involving a structural arrangement of melanin pigments because it disappeared when it was associated with a depigmenting gene. This blue variant appeared to be governed by an autosomal recessive gene. Blue fry survival and body weight were about 25% less than those of wild-type sibs, but no major problem was observed in further breeding performances, including reproduction. These features do not correspond with those of the blue variants previously described in the rainbow trout.