Ts, albinism?

[hamfoto]

I know crickets are not arachnids but you see at least one albino in every dozen or so.

Those aren't albinos...they are freshly molted!

 

[deadly_elegance]

No you don't. They are freshly molted, not albino. Inverts are not capable of producing albino. I do suppose hypothetically there could be a very very rare mutation That would cause a lack in the production of whatever is responsible in their exoskeleton and hair that reflects light. But it is very unlikely if not impossible. And its still not albino. Also the term albino only refers to mammals. All others, even though the term is used often, are not albino, it is improper terminology. I have forgotten the little bit of science I used to know about the specifics of how this works but I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find the science behind it. It's no mystery. Someone knows exactly why.

although albinism are more common in mammals. . . I have seen albino fishes, reptiles and anything that has "skin"

albinism is the term given to an individual that lacks melanin in their skin/hair. . . now as we all know inverts do not have skin, they have exoskeleton. . . . if anyone can prove that these exoskeleton has melanin then there can be an albino tarantula or any inverts for that matter. . . but i don't think these exoskeleton have melanin. . .

 

[Le Wasp]

Eeenteresting

I'm not certain for tarantulas, but albinism would be much rarer in insects than mammals because melanin isn't just for coloration, but it's also used as a vital part of their immune system. So, as soon as you get an albino insect, it would fall prey to all sorts of diseases, parasites, etc, and die off, never spreading its albino gene.

A white tarantula could be possible, but that would be caused by some kind of light reflecting structure rather than a lack of pigment. I think there is a recently discovered beetle that has a super white exoskeleton that scientists are excited about.

That's really interesting about the albino millipede. I wonder what kind of immune systems they have. If it's possible there, it may be possible in tarantulas as well. Although, if it only shows up in cave dwelling species, that probably means that the pigments are useful in protecting arthropods against the sun's radiation... So, again, if an albino turned up, it would probably die quickly. (or maybe they're just albino in caves because color no longer matters in the dark)