recessive whites

[Zoaea]

There are many instances of different mutations occurring on one locus of many animals. In rabbits, for example, Sable, Himalayan, Chinchilla, and REW are all different color mutations on the C locus.

However, these different mutations produce different phenotypes. For two different mutations at one locus to produce the same phenotype is less likely - though not out of the question. What's far less likely is for RW and Goldbar to be two separate spontaneous mutations but on the same locus, producing the same phenotype, appearing within a few years of each other and in roughly the same geographical location. Odds on all that happening are extremely low. So yes, I do believe they are the same, but I have not "proved" it.

You said it better than I could. Also there are only so many genes that code coat color, the mutation has to occur at one of those loci.

There were originally only 3 females brought back by Chapman, right? I think it's safe to say that domestic chinchillas all share a common ancestor. =P Even if the occasional wild one was added to the pool it would not change that founding ancestor. I guess the real question would be if the RW gene has only one starting point that remained hidden for many generations or if it does happen to be separate mutations.

My guess as to why this matters is for cross breeding, and unifying the name of the color. I think Goldbar captures it best, it's not ver white looking after all.

 

[Riven]

This was interesting to me that their is such an issue on these two when no one seems to be interested in all the other recessive mutes.
Are they in a different category? I do not believe so! Until one is willing to look into their full genetic codes, how can they not be seen the same way as all the other recessive mutations who have not been tested.
Really, it is a dead end until then.

Exactly. Perhaps Blue Diamond's are a new mutation! But yet everyone has accepted they're a hybrid of both, let's not accept that until we have DNA proof!