Coat colour and fleece type DNA panel - Alpaca

DNA panel for alpaca coat colour and fleece type

This panel combines multiple genetic markers relevant to coat colour, colour pattern and fleece type planning in alpacas. For breeders, colour is not only a visual feature: it also matters for breeding goals, sales expectations, fibre selection and predicting possible outcomes within a herd.

The test combines existing subanalyses for ASIP, MC1R, KIT, KITLG and TRPV3. Together these markers provide more practical insight than a single test, because the final appearance of an alpaca often reflects the combination of base colour, pigment distribution, modifying patterns and fleece type.

What is tested?

• A locus / ASIP: three markers that help assess genetic information around dark or black fibre colour.
• E locus / MC1R: three markers linked with pigment intensity, lightness and the balance between dark eumelanin pigment and lighter phaeomelanin pigment.
• KIT: the c.376G>A variant for classic grey / dominant white, an important factor in grey alpacas and colour-focused breeding plans.
• KITLG: the roan-associated copy-number variant, relevant for animals where pigmented fibres are mixed with lighter or white fibres.
• TRPV3: the c.1423G>T variant used to assess Suri fleece type versus Huacaya fleece type.

Practical value of this test

This panel gives breeders a broader genetic view of one animal in a single analysis. It supports mating choices, explains unexpected colours in offspring, helps identify hidden colour factors and enables more targeted decisions around colour, pattern and fleece type. It is especially useful for young animals, valuable breeding animals, animals with complex colour expression and matings where grey, roan, dark pigment or Suri fleece may be important.

How to interpret the results

Each marker is reported separately. The result should therefore be read as a genetic map: the A and E loci mainly help with base colour and pigment direction, KIT and KITLG can strongly modify the visible coat pattern, and TRPV3 provides information about fleece type. The final appearance remains the combined result of multiple loci, making this panel most valuable as a breeding tool rather than a simple one-to-one prediction of every shade.