Discover Top Posts Tagged with #erythrism

An erythristic Northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon ssp. sipedon) in North Carolina, USA

by Jillian Kern

#northern water snake #aberrant #erythrism #common water snake #water snakes #colubrids #snakes #reptiles #nerodia sipedon sipedon #nerodia sipedon #nerodia #colubridae #serpentes #squamata #reptilia #chordata #wildlife: usa #wildlife: north america

Have you ever seen a pink grasshopper? Though the meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) is typically distinguished by its green and brown coloration, a genetic mutation called erythrism leaves some individuals looking pretty in pink! Erythrism is the overproduction of red pigment. While these rare insects are beautiful to look at, pink grasshoppers are hindered by their vivid coloring because it makes hiding from predators much more difficult.

Photo: Back from the Brink, CC BY-NC 2.0, flickr (Meadow grasshopper nymph pictured)

#science #nature #natural history #animals #grasshopper #insec #pink #erythrism #did you know #fun fact #fact of the day #meadow grasshopper

Could we see some examples of/facts about erythrism in herps and birds?

Erythrism

I don't have a lot of facts about it for you other than just the basics.

Erythrism is an unusually reddish coloration in an animal or egg shell, caused by an excess of red pigment, or an absence of other normally present pigments. this is usually caused by a genetic mutation.

Here are some examples for you:

Australian Common Garden Katydid (Caedicia simplex), male, late instar nymph with erythrism (pink or red coloration), family Tettigoniidae, NSW, Australia

photograph by Bron Maurer

Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris), family Bufonidae, southeastern United States

This individual is has aberrant coloration. I have personally never seen one bright red like this - “Erythristic”.

photograph by Sam Sweet

Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus), family Plethodontidae, PA, USA

photograph by Tom Diez

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis s. sirtalis), family Colubridae, Michigan, USA

photograph by Kim Mack

#erythrism #anmals #nature #reptile #herpetology #animals #insect #amphibian

Throwback to when I found this erythristic Chortophaga viridifasciata! That was definitely the highlight of my year in May of 2021! Never seen another since. So glad this girl made it to adulthood!

#grasshopper #Chortophagaviridifasciata #Erythrism #Erythristic #GreenStripedGrasshopper #Greenbelt #May #2021 #pink #red

No because the way I get so VISCERALLY angry when someone refers to an animal as albino when they’re actually leucistic, erythristic, or xanthochromatic is both deeply irrational and greatly unhealthy

ALBINISM

Total loss of melanin in the body, i.e. skin, hair/fur/feathers, and eyes (the eyes look pink/red because the lack of melanin in the eye exposes the blood vessels within it to light, which then reflects their red hue)

LEUCISM

Partial loss of melanin in the body; the pattern of melanin distribution is unique in each case, so some people or animals with this condition may have patches of typically-colored skin/hair/fur in addition to pigmented eyes, while others may only have the aforementioned ocular pigmentation

ERYTHRISM

Abnormal prevalence of reddish pigment in the skin/hair/fur/feathers of an animal; concentration of this pigment varies case by case, so humans/animals with the condition can present anywhere from only slightly pink to intensely red in color; to my knowledge, the condition does not affect the eyes

XANTHOCHROMISM

Abnormal prevalence of yellow pigment in the skin/hair/fur/feathers of an animal; similar to erythrism, color intensity can vary from light golden hues to deep yellows; again, to my knowledge, the condition does not affect the eyes

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