Milii, to much hype over hypo?

[JasonL]

Can someone please tell me what defines a U. milii as a hypo? many I see on various sites listed as hypos are just standard forms, most OS ones being Western Australian looking animals, that are naturally light coloured.

 

[Hilde]

I think to some extent, 'hypo' is in the eye of the beholder. What you consider hypo might not cut it in my books, and vice versa.
Using the eyes in my milii collection, I made up a chart that shows there's a difference in eye colour between the various 'shades of hypo'. Again, I don't know if it holds true in all milii, but it works with mine (or maybe it's just in the Eastern milii like mine??).

Using this as a guideline, I consider mine to be normal, hypo and super hypo.

Normal

Hypo

Super hypo

Normal and hypo side by side to compare:

 

[JasonL]

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Here are some Sydney Coastal form ones, note the eye colour.

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And here are some from Western NSW, still the eastern population, but living on red dirt, these form are a light to orange colour naturally.

 

[Ira]

I think Hilde is right. It truly is in the eye of the beholder. I've never compared the color of the eye to see how much lighter the hypo individuals are. It is a selectively bred to obtain the light coloration, so it's not a genetically definitive "morph". Generally, like Hilde described, a lighter colored animal, with a reduced dark pigment constitutes a hypo individual. Most people prefer a light, slightly orange colored animal compared to a dark brown individual. Yes, in the wild they obtain the light coloration as well. From what I've seen the Eastern form of U. milii have a great natural color variance, but I really don't know that for sure.

Hilde, those are some great pictures and side by side comparisons!!!!.. I love it!.

 

[Nephrurus]

Whats this then? I have to say, I agree with JasonL.

-H

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Hypomelenistic means a decreased amount of black pigment. And, a decreased amount of black pigment is a decreased amount of black pigment whether it's naturally occurring or whether it's specifically being bred for. I find anerythristic corn snakes in the wild all the time. This doesn't make them any less anerythristic.

 

[JasonL]

Hypomelenistic means a decreased amount of black pigment. And, a decreased amount of black pigment is a decreased amount of black pigment whether it's naturally occurring

but it's not decreased in a naturally occuring population where every milii is that colour, it's a bit like saying a red levis is Hypo because you can get black ones....or maybe they are Hyper's .... Now I'm not saying all of them are a load of BS, there are some very nice ones I'd be glad to call Hypos posted in this thread, but the vast majority seem to be just normal milii.