Emerine Leopard Geckos
A leopard gecko with an Emerine morph has a yellow or tangerine ground colour and green shades, which often have a bruised, bluish undertone. Because the green is never solid and varies from one animal to the next, judge the gecko in the photograph and ask which established line it comes from.
About the Emerine gene
A leopard gecko bred for green is called an Emerine. Because it carries both colours on the body as an adult, the name combines Emerald and Tangerine. It is not a solid green animal like a Blizzard is white or a Tangerine is orange. Instead, shades of green sit over a yellow or tangerine ground colour. This amount of green changes from gecko to gecko.
Appearance
Usually, the body is orange or a greenish yellow with a bluish, bruise-like undertone. While green can appear on the tail, head, or body, it is most often seen along the flanks, then around the base of the tail and up the neck. Green running down the tail itself is less common. Because pattern is not part of the trait, Emerines come in striped, reverse striped, jungle, and banded. The albino version is sold as Extreme Emerine.
Genetics
The Emerine is a polygenic colour. Because it is held together by selective breeding instead of a single gene, there is no super form and no het. You will find it listed as Emerine and Pos Emerine, while older listings call this same green Emerald. Since the colour is in the line rather than a gene you can prove out, a gecko is only really an Emerine when it traces back to the breeders working with them. Ask the seller for the lineage. There are several established lines that carry it: G Project, Pacific Green, Sykes Emerine, Green & Tangerine and the Clown tangerines. Blood Emerine crosses the green into JMG's Blood tangerine line and has its own page. In 2004, the first Emeralds appeared in Ron Tremper's collection.