First record of albinism in the taragüi gecko homonota taragui (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae)

Abstract

Albinism is a rare, congenital, genetically inherited condition characterized by a partial or complete lack of melanin; the pigment that colors the skin, eyes and hair or feathers (López and Ghirardi, 2011). This condition results from the expression of a recessive allele, which causes tyrosinase inactivity, an enzyme involved in melanin biosynthesis (Krecsák, 2008). There are two types of albinism, complete albinism, a condition expressed phenotypically as the complete absence of melanin in the entire body; and partial albinism, when melanin is reduced in the whole body or the absence is located in just one part of the body (Klug and Cummings, 1999).