Black Back/Red Het Axanthic?

[RubyFox89]

I recently bought a ball python advertised as a 'Black Back Spider'. At the time I did minimal research on the black back part, found the information offered fragmented and confusing, and for the most part ignored it, happy with just taking home my beautiful looking spider.

Since then I have been researching more into 'black back' and no one seems cemented anything. So far I have got the following:

A) Black Back is just a phenotypical description

B) There is a 'Genetic Black Back'.
http://www.worldofballpythons.com/mo...ic-black-back/

C) Black Back is another term for Het Red Axanthic, and breeders can use these terms interchangeably. Some people have said that this is what the het reds used to be called, until someone popped out a Red Axanthic and that took over and the term black back was dropped.

What are people's opinions here? My Black Back Spider for reference:

image

image

[Albert Clark]

Nice. Black back or het red axanthic that is a healthy looking bp!! Congrats to you!!

[C2tcardin]

Welcome to the forum.

The problem is, as you stated, some breeders use the term Black Back as a description and not necessarily as a proven gene at play hence Genetic Black Back.
From your picture it looks like your spider has the solid dorsal stripe so I would say it looks like you have a Genetic Black Back Spider.

As for the Het Red Axanthic, it was thought to be a black back at one point till it was proven to be a different line by Corey Woods.

[TessadasExotics]

Nice looking spider.
Not all black backs are genetic.
Green Pastels, Het Reds, Lori Balls and there are a few others are genetic Black backs......
But being a Black back does not make it one of the above.

[RubyFox89]

Breeder has returned to me and his words, parents were a Genetic Black Back and a Bumblebee.

I've come to the conclusion that Black Back is just one of those murky morphs that are hard to keep a clear track of genetic wise, which is probably why I haven't seen a lot.

Also, thank you for your welcome