Has anyone on here ever seen an albino ornate? Genetically I assume it's possible but I've never seen one advertised for sale online or one that could be definitively identified as an ornate in pictures. I saw a post in which an albino pacman (a more peachy looking morph rather than a standard yellow and orange) was identified as C. ornata by the photographer. After I mentioned that it was likely C. cranwelli, the poster noted that it could be an ornata x cranwelli hybrid, but my understanding of this hybrid is that it's rarely seen in the hobby due to difficulties in production. An albino ornata x cranwelli would by that logic be exceedingly rare if my interpretation is correct.
The frog in question is attached, photo by Mike Baird. There's no view of the back of the eyes though, unfortunately. I would love to hear your opinions, especially those of you who have experience in breeding!
Upon searching Flickr, I found another user had photographed the same frog, owned by Dennis Sheridan. It seems that the photographers got the identification from Dennis. I'm not convinced this is an ornate however. Would the coloration behind the eye in this photo: https://flic.kr/p/7Hs1h5 be considered a false eye spot? Here is another photo showing patterning on the back: https://flic.kr/p/7Hs1bb
It definitely has Cranwelli in it if not full blooded, but there are a few things on him that look reminiscent of an ornate. Never heard of cranwelli/ornata hybrids, but could possibly be a thing. My guess is it’s just a magnificently colored Cranwelli, but for those not familiar with the speciation of these frogs, the name “ornate” is a much sexier label to put on it than trying to say strawberry albino Pac-Man frog, thus driving up the value outside the tiny market of highly knowledgeable frog keepers.
Ornata x cranwelli hybrids are usually called Orwell's, and from what I've researched they're not commonly available due to low spawn yields. According to those who have seen them they're said to have the skull shape of a Cranwell's and the patterning of an ornate. I agree, I imagine frog dealers and pet stores treat the "ornate" label similar to "fancy" bearded dragons, and price the frogs quite a bit higher. My guess is that the original buyer was misled and likely overcharged, although the strawberry/strawberry pineapple/apricot/sunburst morphs would be worth more than a standard albino as it is. I don't know much about frog breeding or morphs, but I would guess that the peachy morphs require a lot of selective breeding to produce, and are most likely pure Cranwell's. Thanks for the reply by the way!
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