Galaxy

From Guppy Wiki

Photo by Luke Roebuck.

Other Common Names

There is a very similar strain called the Medusa. The Medusa has a multi-colored caudal fin.

History

The Galaxy was an original creation of Yoshiki Tsutsui. He developed in the 1990s.

Description

The unusual "bandit" markings in the fore part of the body and black markings on the rest of the body are characteristic of this strain. The fine lace pattern is lost.

In North America, the caudal colors range from yellow and black to olive gray with yellow spots. The Japanese varieties have a wider range of colors and patterns. The Blue Galaxies have been crossed with Japanese Blue Glass guppies, sometimes called a Blue Variegated Cobra. This version of the strain also yields yellow and white versions. An albino version is also part of this version of the strain.

Another Japanese breeder developed a strain similar to the Galaxy, called the Medusa. Tsutsui says the Medusa is similar to the earlier version of his strain. The Medusa is found with "calico" like colors in its caudal.

Genetics

The Galaxy is a result of a cross between a platinum and snakeskin guppy. Yoshiki Tsutsui developed it originally from a guppy with Lace (a fine pattern snakeskin) crossed with a Japanese Platinum guppy.

Lace guppies are snakeskins with a very fine pattern. The Japanese platinum gene is commonly found on the Y-chromosome, but it can also be found X-linked. Tsutsui said that he crossed the two strains many times during a two year period (from 1992 to 1994), until he found a male with both a Platinum (P) and snakeskin gene on the Y chromosome. n the same chromosome. Does this mean they lie very close together on the chromosome? The fact that it took two years for the cross over event to happen seems to suggest this.

The Blue Galaxy is a variation. It is a red Galaxy with the Asian blau mutation in the heterozygous state. Typical of many Japanese fish, it has fairly complex genetics and a knowledge of its genetic make-up is essential to keeping it true to its heritage.

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