[elunned]

Breeders have a very different perspective than hobbyists on the qualities that are important in oyagoi. Pattern is not where koi appreciation should start.

The different patterns in koi are from different mutations that occured in different locations at diiferent points in time. Sanke are fundamentaly different than showa. That is probably why sanki sumi is different than traditional showa sumi in appearance, not just placement - each was a unique change in the genome, possibly at a different location on the chromosome. I suspect that different reds in kohaku are the result of interactions between different genes. The development of certain patterns and colors are historically linked (and possibly located on the same chromosome in some instances), but by interbreeding, those traditional linkages can be disrupted and new genes from other lineages introduced. (Crossover is a type of mutation that occurs whenchromosome line up in their pairs during cell division and DNA duplication - sometimes parts of the arms swap. It is a numbers game that used to be used to map how close two genes were to each other - the farther apart, the higher the probability of crossover, the closer the two genes, the less likely they would get separated.)

I like JR's way of looking at koi varieties and patterns - and I suspect it is a reflection of the genetics. Pattern families can be divided into dorsal patterns (sanke, kohaku) wrapping patterns (showa, utsuri) and lateral patterns (asagi/shusui and kumonryu).

Our understanding of genetics has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. FWIW, most biologists no longer believe in the notion "one gene - one protein" though that is sometimes still the easiest way to disuss mutations. The more we learn and the more genetic code we decipher, the more complex the picture becomes. Anyway - I've discussed cloning before, and why cloning for pattern cannot work. Remeber that every single cell in the koi carries the same genetic code. (More or less - mutations will happen in a large enough population of cells, and an adult koi has enough cells that there will be some mutations.) The cells that produce sumi have the same genes as the cells that produce beni - or those that produce no pigment. Skin cells carry the same genetic info as muscle cells, or cells in the nervous system. As an embryo develops, position and neighbouring cells guide many of the decisions about how individual cells specialize. Pattern is much more random when it comes to individual cells and where the "ground zero" for the patch of red or black starts. Twin dalmations don't have their spots in the same place, twin humans don't have freckles in the same spots. They should have the same pattern tendencies (red head, black pants, similar kiwa and sashi) plus similar skin quality, conformation, bone structure and growth rate as well as the timetable on pattern development as long as diet and environment are identical - but patterned clones are NOT mirror images.