The Phantom Gene
This is a recessive gene that was actually first identified, proven genetically and named by yours truly, a little over 20 years ago. Since then, I've gone from almost ignoring it (because we didn't yet have any genes to make cool Phantoms with) to going all in on Phantom starting in 2019. Back in 2019, I made the decision to build an entire parallel collection of Phantoms, which I did by making het Phantoms in every base color type, with every favorite project. Putting such an investment of time and resources into the Phantom gene would turn out to be far more rewarding than I ever expected.
What does Phantom do?
We've learned a lot about Phantom in the last 5-10 years, as new pattern genes have appeared in captivity. After 20+ years of working with the gene in total and our recent addition of hundreds of breeder phantoms, this is probably my best attempt to sum the gene up:
- Phantom seems to diffuse, if not nearly eliminate, certain pattern elements, while letting others through to take center stage.
- Orange markings are typically the most impacted, if not eliminated. When they are present, they appear as brown because they're largely faded and mostly transparent.
- Tangerine pigment still lets you tinker with color palette, but it's also more subtle unless a white pattern element is present to put Tangerine on top of. In this case, Tangerine makes the white markings yellow-orange-pink, depending on saturation. Tangerine tint to the body is less noticeable on lavender/black or red base Phantoms than it is on yellows.
- White markings seem to be severely impacted with some genes, like Pinstripe and Lilly White, but not so much with others. Creamy/White dorsal markings are usually eliminated, but you can get Phantoms that have an obvious wash of cream on the dorsal - though these are relatively rare.
- Whiteout/Whitewall is almost unaffected, offering the best path to putting large white laterals on Phantoms.
- Empty Back apparently helps push pigment away from the spine and out towards edges of the dorsal (where the crests happen to be). This seems to allow "highlighted" or white pinning come through much better. I stumbled onto this little nugget of pattern voodoo completely by accident and I am planning to take full advantage. Phantom Super Stripes are also super cool and made with the Empty Back gene.
- Cappuccino, though we don't work with the gene ourselves (for a unique reason), seems to add white on the posterior half of the dorsal when Lilly is present. I've enjoyed seeing the interaction of Phantom and Cappuccino (and Lilly with that combo), but I have avoided working with Cappuccino, myself, due to the fact we have an unrelated gene that has a similar visual impact (which I've never talked about and probably won't until I try for a super). That said, if you have a Cappuccino project of any kind, but particularly Frapp (Lilly/Capp), then you almost have to set up a parallel Phantom project for it...it's still early, but the ones I've seen are just too cool not to do it if you already have the genes. If you can add Empty Back or Whitewalls to your Capp/Phantom project, even better.
To learn more about the Phantom gene, be sure to read The Phantom Gene by Anthony Caponetto
About ACR Crested Geckos
Lineages Developed Entirely In-House for Over 20 Years
Our exclusive crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) lineages have been in development here since the 2004 breeding season, comprised of geckos representing every distinct lineage that was available in the hobby back in the early to mid 2000's. There have been no imports of crested geckos since then, meaning our gene pool is literally as deep as it gets, barring the resumption of export of wild collected specimens (not likely to ever happen).
While most breeders focus strictly on pattern and color mutations, our work doesn't stop with the paint job - we have too large a colony to focus only on pattern/color. Because genetic sustainability has been a priority from day one, we have consistently outcrossed our lineages, selecting for a specific appearance in each project, effectively turning would-be lineages/bloodlines into self-sufficient breeding populations. This has taken place slowly and deliberately, over a 20 year period. This outcrossing, while simultaneously breeding for a particular appearance (and avoiding new genes that negatively impact appearance, health or structure), has allowed us to develop these lines to not only be good looking, but also to grow big and strong. Many of our modern-day crested top out at over 70 grams by 5 years of age, and it's not unusual to see geckos that weigh 80-90 plus grams - and that's feeding them only twice per week.
If you're playing the long game, much like we've done here, then you want geckos with not only cool genetic mutations, but geckos that have also been bred with other factors taken into consideration - things like color quality, size and structure aren't easily or quickly fixed, especially if you've ignored those things for multiple generations. Reproducing genes is easy - just an odds game. Playing that odds game - while simultaneously maintaining your selective breeding - is where it can get tricky. If you're buying geckos for the presence of a gene that's currently new/rare and you're ignoring everything else, those things you ignore will haunt you for years - long after that new gene is no longer new, rare or valuable (unless, of course it's on a nice gecko).
If you're new to ACR, be sure to read up about the various genes and bloodlines that we've identified and developed over the years! Click HERE to view our GENETICS & LINEAGE section in a new tab.
