Another Color Question

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

So, this is my 2nd breeding with this doe. The first time she had 6 with a mix of black or white. This time she had 9. And one of them is 3 colors.
The doe is black with some specks of white. The buck is a REW. He is huge.
So, since I am new, to rabbits, I kind get breeds names mixed up with the color names.
So is the kit a broken something with a harlequin gene or ?
And is it that gene always makes males?
Lastly, where did this come from the buck or doe? Or had to be both?

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

From what I know rabbits have no color that is gender locked
Looks like a normal Harlequin to me, REW can cover a lot of things

 

[Alaska Satin]

So, this is my 2nd breeding with this doe. The first time she had 6 with a mix of black or white. This time she had 9. And one of them is 3 colors.
The doe is black with some specks of white. The buck is a REW. He is huge.
So, since I am new, to rabbits, I kind get breeds names mixed up with the color names.
So is the kit a broken something with a harlequin gene or ?
And is it that gene always makes males?
Lastly, where did this come from the buck or doe? Or had to be both?

Pretty baby! It's actually fairly correctly marked for a harlequin!

It's most likely that your ruby-eyed white (REW) buck carries the harlequin gene <ej_>. As @RabbitsOfTheCreek points out, REW <cc> can cover up pretty much any other colors carried by the rabbit. The <cc> alleles prevent all pigments in coat and eyes from appearing on the rabbit, even though it still carries genes for other colors at other loci. (Loci is the term for different places on the genome, the singular being "locus." And "allele" means one of several possible forms of a gene at a particular locus.)

The bunny looks like a harlequin rather than a tricolor, which is a broken-colored harlequin. The pale area on its front leg that seems white is most likely part of the normal variation in shading that orange rabbits often show. If it was really a broken/tricolored rabbit, it almost certainly would have completely white feet, at least.

Also, to again echo what @RabbitsOfTheCreek says, as far as I know, there are not any coat color genes linked to sex, as there are in cats.

Were both of the doe's litters by the same buck?

And to help clear up potential confusion, Harlequin is a breed of rabbit (which only comes in the harlequin pattern of orange + dark or its variation white + dark), and harlequin is a coat color/pattern that appears in other breeds a well.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Pretty baby! It's actually fairly correctly marked for a harlequin!

It's most likely that your ruby-eyed white (REW) buck carries the harlequin gene <ej_>. As @RabbitsOfTheCreek points out, REW <cc> can cover up pretty much any other colors carried by the rabbit. The <cc> alleles prevent all pigments in coat and eyes from appearing on the rabbit, even though it still carries genes for other colors at other loci. (Loci is the term for different places on the genome, the singular being "locus." And "allele" means one of several possible forms of a gene at a particular locus.)

The bunny looks like a harlequin rather than a tricolor, which is a broken-colored harlequin. The pale area on its front leg that seems white is most likely part of the normal variation in shading that orange rabbits often show. If it was really a broken/tricolored rabbit, it almost certainly would have completely white feet, at least.

Also, to again echo what @RabbitsOfTheCreek says, as far as I know, there are not any coat color genes linked to sex, as there are in cats.

Were both of the doe's litters by the same buck?

And to help clear up potential confusion, Harlequin is a breed of rabbit (which only comes in the harlequin pattern of orange + dark or its variation white + dark), and harlequin is a coat color/pattern that appears in other breeds a well.

Yes, same buck and doe pairing.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Yes, same buck and doe pairing.

Ok so this is what I think you said.
Harlequin is a Breed.
And also a gene.
And also a color.
Rabbit language 101?

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Ok so this is what I think you said.
Harlequin is a Breed.
And also a gene.
And also a color.
Rabbit language 101?

It's like how Himalayan is both its own breed and a color than can show up on others like Netherlands

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

It's like how Himalayan is both its own breed and a color than can show up on others like Netherlands

Ha ha ha. I haven't got that far yet. I'm still on vorpal.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Ok so this is what I think you said.
Harlequin is a Breed.
And also a gene.
And also a color.
Rabbit language 101?

Sorry! Yes, rabbit language 101.1

And yes, to all the above.

Harlequin can be a breed or a variety (color). I try to use a capital for the breed and a lower-case for the variety. The same is true for Lilac and lilac, Silver and silver, Champagne and champagne, Chinchilla and chinchilla, Himalayan and himalayan, and Tan and tan: all can be used to refer to a breed, or to a variety name in several breeds.

A Harlequin is a breed (image from Harlequin) which is defined, in part, by its coat pattern. Here is a Harlequin of the color group known as japanese:

Here is a Harlequin of a different color, part of a color group called "magpie:"

They are called "color groups" because each group - japanese and magpie - comes in variations that depend on whether the colors are black or chocolate-based, and whether or not they are dilute versions of those colors.

Harlequin is also a color pattern, which is actually better referred to as a "variety" because as you can see above, the pattern comes in more than one color combination.
Here is a harlequin Dutch (which is the breed) from my friend's purebred Dutch litter:

and here is a harlequin Mini Lop:


Finally, harlequin is a gene notated <ej>. It is this allele on the E-series gene that causes all of the above patterns, plus the tricolor pattern, which is combination of harlequin <ej> and the broken-color allele <En> (which, confusingly enough, is NOT part of the E series but rather the En series). No other U.S. breed recognizes a harlequin variety, but breeds that recognize tricolor will always have some harlequin-marked bunnies popping up, since they are used to make the tricolors.

Rabbit coat colors, specially if you start by looking at harlequin genetics, or really any of the E-series alleles, can be a bit confusing at first. @judymac gives a good introduction to the five primary coat color genes here:
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/good-rabbit-beginner-color-genetic-page.35580/
There is also a great book that covers basic genetic inheritance as well as rabbit coat colors:

https://www.allthingsbunnies.com/ABC-About-Bunny-Colors-p/bks107.htm
Rabbit coat color genetics can be a proverbial rabbit hole, but it's a fun place to be once you get oriented!

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Sorry! Yes, rabbit language 101.1

And yes, to all the above.

Harlequin can be a breed or a variety (color). I try to use a capital for the breed and a lower-case for the variety. The same is true for Lilac and lilac, Silver and silver, Champagne and champagne, Chinchilla and chinchilla, Himalayan and himalayan, and Tan and tan: all can be used to refer to a breed, or to a variety name in several breeds.

A Harlequin is a breed (image from Harlequin) which is defined, in part, by its coat pattern. Here is a Harlequin of the color group known as japanese:
View attachment 38066
Here is a Harlequin of a different color, part of a color group called "magpie:"
View attachment 38070
They are called "color groups" because each group - japanese and magpie - comes in variations that depend on whether the colors are black or chocolate-based, and whether or not they are dilute versions of those colors.

Harlequin is also a color pattern, which is actually better referred to as a "variety" because as you can see above, the pattern comes in more than one color combination.
Here is a harlequin Dutch (which is the breed) from my friend's purebred Dutch litter:
View attachment 38067
and here is a harlequin Mini Lop:
View attachment 38068

Finally, harlequin is a gene notated <ej>. It is this allele on the E-series gene that causes all of the above patterns, plus the tricolor pattern, which is combination of harlequin <ej> and the broken-color allele <En> (which, confusingly enough, is NOT part of the E series but rather the En series). No other U.S. breed recognizes a harlequin variety, but breeds that recognize tricolor will always have some harlequin-marked bunnies popping up, since they are used to make the tricolors.

Rabbit coat colors, specially if you start by looking at harlequin genetics, or really any of the E-series alleles, can be a bit confusing at first. @judymac gives a good introduction to the five primary coat color genes here:
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/good-rabbit-beginner-color-genetic-page.35580/
There is also a great book that covers basic genetic inheritance as well as rabbit coat colors:
View attachment 38071
https://www.allthingsbunnies.com/ABC-About-Bunny-Colors-p/bks107.htm
Rabbit coat color genetics can be a proverbial rabbit hole, but it's a fun place to be once you get oriented!

Great explination. I can only imagine playing a game of Scrabble with you and Judymac.