Leopard Gecko Morph Guide

The Bell Albino locus is one of three independent albino loci in leopard geckos. Homozygous recessive (bell/bell) animals display reduced melanin with a distinctive appearance: ruby-red to deep pink eyes are the hallmark of Bell Albino and the most reliable way to distinguish it from the other two albino strains. Body coloration tends toward lavender, light brown, and soft orange with brown spotting. Bell Albinos often have a cleaner, more pastel appearance compared to Tremper Albinos. The ruby-red eye color makes Bell Albino highly sought after for combo morphs where eye color is a selling point.

Black Night is a polygenic (line-bred) trait that produces extreme melanistic coloration. The goal is a completely jet-black leopard gecko with no pattern or lighter areas. Like Tangerine, Black Night is controlled by multiple genes and has no simple Mendelian inheritance ratio. Expression is achieved through intensive selective breeding over many generations, crossing the darkest animals together. Black Night hatchlings often show some pattern that is progressively "swallowed up" by darkness as the animal matures. IMPORTANT: Black Night coloration is significantly influenced by ambient temperature. Cooler temperatures enhance darkness, and some unscrupulous sellers keep animals at sub-optimal low temperatures to make them appear darker. When moved to normal temperatures, the black coloration may fade. As a heavily line-bred morph, Black Night animals can have reduced fertility, slow growth, and health issues due to the intense inbreeding required to fix the polygenic trait.

The Blizzard locus is a recessive trait that produces a patternless gecko with solid coloration. Homozygous Blizzard (blz/blz) animals lack the normal banded or spotted pattern entirely, displaying a uniform body color that can range from pure white to yellow to dark brown/purple depending on other genetics and temperature. Blizzard is a different gene than Murphy Patternless. Confirmed by complementation testing (crossing Blizzard x Murphy Patternless produces normal-patterned double-het offspring). While both produce patternless geckos, they achieve it through different genetic mechanisms at separate loci. Blizzard is a key component of the Diablo Blanco combo morph.

The Eclipse locus is a recessive trait that primarily affects eye coloration. Homozygous Eclipse (ecl/ecl) geckos have solid-colored eyes. The entire visible eye surface is one uniform color with no visible iris pattern. In non-albino Eclipse geckos, eyes are solid black. When combined with any of the three albino strains, Eclipse produces solid red or ruby eyes. Eclipse can also produce "snake eyes". A partial expression where only a portion of the eye is solid-colored, creating a striking split appearance. Eclipse is a key component of the RAPTOR combo morph and its derivatives. In addition to eye effects, Eclipse can subtly influence body coloration, sometimes reducing head spotting.

The Giant locus is an incomplete dominant trait that increases overall body size. Three phenotypes based on zygosity: Normal (no Giant gene) reaches typical adult size of 40-55g. Heterozygous Giant (Gg) reaches 80-110g and is noticeably larger than normal. Homozygous Super Giant (GG) reaches 110-170g+ and can exceed 11-12 inches in total length. Dramatically larger than normal leopard geckos. The Giant gene affects growth rate and ultimate adult size but does not alter color or pattern. Giants and Super Giants require somewhat more food and larger enclosures than normal leopard geckos. The Super Giant form is particularly impressive and commands premium prices.

The Mack Snow locus is an incomplete dominant trait that reduces yellow pigmentation and increases white. Three phenotypes exist based on zygosity: Wild type (no Snow gene) appears normal with yellow/orange coloration. Heterozygous Mack Snow (Ss) hatches with white bands instead of yellow and displays reduced yellow pigmentation throughout life, though some yellow may return with age. Homozygous Super Snow (SS) is dramatically different. A white or very pale body with bold black spotting and distinctive solid black "eclipse-like" eyes (though genetically distinct from the Eclipse gene). Super Snow is one of the most visually striking leopard gecko morphs. The Snow gene is an extremely popular building block for combo morphs due to its ability to brighten and clean up body color.

The Murphy Patternless locus is a recessive trait that produces a patternless gecko, distinct from the Blizzard gene. Homozygous Murphy Patternless (mp/mp) hatchlings emerge with a faint pattern that fades completely as the gecko matures, resulting in an adult with uniform coloration. Typically yellow to greenish-yellow with a subtle lavender tint on the body. The lack of pattern combined with the characteristic yellow-green tone distinguishes Murphy Patternless from Blizzard (which tends toward white/cream/gray). Murphy Patternless is a component of the Ember combo morph (Murphy Patternless + Eclipse + Tremper Albino).

Homozygous recessive at the NDBE (Noir Désir Black Eye) locus (ndbe/ndbe). Solid black eyes with reduced dark body pigmentation, producing a clean appearance. When combined with tangerine line-bred genetics, NDBE produces strikingly dark orange to red coloration. The trait appears to interact synergistically with melanistic pathways, enhancing overall color intensity. Discovered from the Gecko Genetics line of tangerines. First recognized around 2015-2016.

NDBE (Noir Désir Black Eye) is a recessive trait that reduces dark body pigmentation while producing solid black eyes. Homozygous NDBE (ndbe/ndbe) geckos display a distinctive "clean" appearance with reduced melanin on the body but dramatically darkened eyes. The trait interacts with melanistic pathways. When combined with tangerine line-bred genetics, NDBE can produce strikingly dark orange to red coloration. The acronym stands for "No Dark Body Extension" in some references, though "Noir Désir Black Eye" is the more commonly used full name. NDBE appears to interact synergistically with tangerine/orange polygenic traits, enhancing color intensity.

The wild-type leopard gecko phenotype. Yellow to tan body with dark brown to black spots and bands. Hatchlings display bold banding that breaks up into spots as the gecko matures. Belly is white to cream. Tail is banded. Eyes have a standard iris pattern with vertical pupil. This is the baseline phenotype against which all morphs are compared. Genotype: wild type at all loci.

The Rainwater Albino locus (also known as Las Vegas Albino) is one of three independent albino loci in leopard geckos. Homozygous recessive (rain/rain) animals are characterized by an overall lighter, more washed-out appearance compared to the other two albino strains. Body coloration is typically pale yellow to light pink with subtle brown spots. Eyes are lighter than normal but not as distinctly red as Bell Albino. Typically dark silver to light pink. Rainwater Albinos tend to be smaller and more delicate in build than the other albino strains, and hatchlings are often noticeably paler and pinker than Tremper or Bell hatchlings.

Homozygous at the Giant locus (GG). Dramatically oversized leopard gecko reaching 110-170g+ as adults. Can exceed 11-12 inches total length. Visually striking due to sheer size. Must be fed appropriately to reach genetic potential. Color and pattern are unaffected. Produced by crossing Giant x Giant. Confirms the incomplete dominant inheritance pattern of the Giant gene.

Tangerine is a polygenic (line-bred) trait that enhances orange pigmentation on the body. It is defined as a gecko that has orange pigment anterior of (in front of) the tail base. Because Tangerine is polygenic. Controlled by multiple genes. There is no simple Mendelian inheritance ratio. Expression is highly variable and is strengthened by selective breeding (crossing the most orange animals together over multiple generations). Tangerine is NOT a single-gene morph and cannot be used in a standard genetics calculator as a simple allele. However, it is one of the most important and widely recognized traits in the hobby. Sub-categories include: Hypo Tangerine (reduced spotting + orange), Super Hypo Tangerine (no body spots + orange), Carrot Tail (orange tail coloration), and Carrot Head (orange head coloration). The best tangerine animals show deep, vivid orange coloration across the entire body.

The Tremper Albino locus is one of three independent albino loci in leopard geckos, confirmed by complementation testing. Homozygous recessive (trem/trem) animals have reduced melanin production, resulting in lighter coloration with brown, orange, and yellow tones replacing the normal dark brown and black. Eyes range from silver to light brown to reddish, depending on the individual and line. Tremper Albino is the most common of the three albino strains and the foundation for many popular combo morphs including RAPTOR and Diablo Blanco. Unlike true amelanistic albinos in some species, Tremper Albinos retain some melanin. They are technically hypomelanic rather than truly amelanistic. The degree of melanin reduction varies between individuals and breeding lines.

White & Yellow (W&Y) morph. One copy of the dominant W&Y gene. Increased white coloration on sides and flanks. Reduced spotting with smaller, fewer spots than normal. Clean, bright appearance with vivid yellow/orange areas. Often shows a distinctive white lateral stripe or banding. First appeared in 1996 in Belarus. Combines well with many other morphs.

White & Yellow (W&Y) is a dominant trait that increases white coloration on the sides and dorsal area while reducing spotting and enhancing yellow/orange tones. One copy of the W&Y gene produces visible expression (approximately 50% of offspring when bred to non-W&Y). Homozygous W&Y ("Super W&Y") shows enhanced expression with more extensive white coloration. W&Y geckos typically have high white sides, reduced or smaller spots, and a cleaner overall appearance. The trait combines well with many other morphs and has become a popular building block in the hobby. Some historical concerns about "W&Y Syndrome" (neurological issues) existed in early lines, but modern breeders report this has been largely bred out through careful selection.