After searching the archive I found this message:
Subject: Pigment loss
From: Sandi Borland (sjborlan at indiana.edu)
Date: Mon 03 Apr 2000 - 15:44:06 BST
Recently (over the past couple of years) we have had some cases where dark
animals (wild-types) are losing pigment. It has happened only on older
animals, no juveniles. It has only happened on a few animals, maybe 10-15
total in 2 years. It has happened on communally housed females and
individually housed males. They start by either getting paler and paler,
or they start by having large white patches. In the end, they look almost
like a white animal except there will be odd spots of reflective, yellow
or black cells here and there. The pigment in the eye is not effected.
They seem to remain otherwise healthy and vigorous.
Any ideas what this might be?
Sandra Borland
IU Axolotl Colony
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To which I would now like to add we have a female who has done the same
thing. She is two years old now. She started by getting pale gray and has
now lost about 2/3 of her previous "wild type" pigmentation with her
former "wildtype" color having faded to a soft grey. She appears to have
stopped losing her pigment and is staying this odd pinto look. Any
clues?
Is there a vitelago mutant of the axolotl? We hope she will breed for us
shortly so we can find out.
Natalie Bjorklund
University of Manitoba Colony
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