3.4. Black color—the Utsuri pattern
Full-sib progeny of Utsuri parents were separated into dark or light pigmented larvae (Fig. lc), which were grown separately to the juvenile stage. The light pigmented larvae developed into three phenotypes: transparent, Kohaku and red. The dark-pigmented larvae developed into several color phenotypes including Utsuri but also wild-type carp color (olive-green to khaki), grey, brown and combinations of these colors. No significant correlation was found between the proportion of dark-pigmented larvae and the proportion of dark-pigmented juveniles. Among offspring of nine crosses between บtsuri parents, the proportion of บtsuri juveniles ranged from 0% to 16%, with an average of 4%. Furthermore, the proportion of บtsuri juveniles was always lower than the proportion of the dark-pigmented larvae.