Pin-dashed Crested Geckos
On a pin-dashed crested gecko the pinstripe shows as short, separate dashes of raised pale scales along the back edges, with wide gaps between them. Pinning is a raised structure, so check the scales as well as the colour, and judge how much stripe the gaps leave.
About the Pin-dashed gene
Pin-dashed describes a crested gecko whose pinstripe is broken into short dashes. Rather than a raised line running along each edge of the dorsum, the gecko has separate runs of raised pin scales with wide gaps between them. This is the lightest degree of pinning you will see named on a listing.
Appearance
Pinning refers to the pin scales, which are raised, enlarged scales along the dorsum edges where the pattern colour gathers, often as a white or pale cream highlight. You must check the shape of the scales instead of just the colour because pinning is structural. If there is a pale edge but no raised scales underneath, it is not pinning. A pin-dashed gecko has more gap than stripe, while a partial pinstripe has longer, connected runs of stripe with breaks in them. A full pinstripe is an animal where the pinning runs unbroken from the neck to the base of the tail. Because pinning sits on top of the pattern rather than replacing it, a pin-dashed gecko can have a flame, a harlequin, a tiger or a brindle underneath.
Genetics
Pin-dashed is a grade of the pinstripe trait instead of being its own gene. It is one step below partial pinstripe. You will find it listed as Pin-dashed or Pos Pin-dashed, and it is also called pin-dash or dashed pinstripe. Pinstripe, Partial Pinstripe and Super Pinstripe each have their own page.