Ebony: A Gene Affecting the Body Color and Fecundity of Tribolium confusum Duval

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Abstract
A mutant, "ebony," is described for the flour beetle, T. confusum, which when homozygous causes the form to appear essentially black instead of the red-brown color characteristic of the type form. This mutant is inherited as a single, recessive, autosomal, gene (ee). The ebony gene also reduces [female] egg production by about 10% that of the homozygous or heterozygous normal beetles. The gene has no demonstrable effect on fertility nor on rate of larval and pupal development. Data are presented on the degree or strength of pigmentation in normal and ebony T. confusum and compared with the closely related species T. castaneum. The usefulness of this mutant for exptl. population studies is stressed.