re: gar fish problem

[Sarah.Wise at Colorado_EDU]

This is my PhD advisor's answer. His scientific work concerns fish genetics and 
evolution.

--

Fish colors are the result of the presence of several different types of
pigment-containing cells. These cells include melanophores (with black or
brown melanin pigment), erythrophores (with reddish carotenoid pigments),
xanthophores (with yellow carotenoids) and iridiophores (with reflecting
crystals). The gold gar almost certainly has a mutation affecting
melanophores and melanin production and the gold color is the result of the
other pigment cells that are still functional (particularly the yellow
xanthophores). Hatcheries deliberately stock rainbow trout that have a similar 
mutation, which are called "palominos". This situation is similar to albinism 
in mammals, including humans, except that in mammals there are no pigments that 
remain, resulting in a white rather than yellow coloration. 

There are four species of gar native to Oklahoma - longnose, shortnose,
spotted and alligator. Of these, only the longnose and alligator gar are
likely to reach a length of 4 ft. These two are easily distinguished by the
shape of the snout; that in alligator gars is short and broad, resembling
that of an alligator, while that in longnose gars is long and slender, with
the distance from the front of the eye to the tip of the snout generally
more than twelve times the least width of the snout. In other words, your
fish is a mutant form of either an alligator or longnose gar.

--

And just FYI, if anyone finds a mutant that they think would be of interest to 
a scientist, either keep it alive or freeze all or part of its tissue (fins, 
brain, guts) until you can find someone to take it. Either method will keep the 
DNA and RNA intact until analysis can be done.

Sarah Wise
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