Motley Boas
Motley boas are a common example of incomplete dominant boas which are bred quite often and are a unique morph found across possibly three species in Central America, Colombia, and Argentina. Despite originating from different regions, Motley boas appear to be genetically compatible across these populations.
Genetics and Super Motley
The Motley gene is an incomplete dominant trait that alters the boa’s pattern, creating a distinctive row of round dorsal markings with clear, patternless sides. This is considered a heterozygous form but this must not be confused with the non visual heterozygous genes in recessive morphs.
When two Motley boas are bred together, they produce a Super Motley, a completely patternless grey snake. However, this combination is considered problematic, as 99% of Super Motley boas do not survive to sexual maturity, with many being stillborn. It is not recommended as these snakes have issues with muscles (especially on the head) and digestion issues too.
Motley in Morph Combinations
Motley boas create striking pattern variations when combined with other morphs, such as:
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Jungle
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Arabesque
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Hypo (Hypomelanistic)
However, Motley and Hypo share the same genetic locus, meaning that when bred together, only one of these traits is passed to offspring. This means that when a Hypo Motley is bred to a normal boa, 50% of resulting offspring will be Hypo and 50% of the offspring will be Motley, but no combination of both.
Motley & Keltic: The “Smoke” Boa
When Motley is combined with Keltic, it produces a patternless dark morph known as a Smoke boa. Like Hypo and Motley, the Keltic gene is allelic with Motley, meaning they interact at the same gene locus. Keltic is a Colombian morph characterized by connected saddles. While some breeders claim the Keltic x Motley combination is lethal, others report no health concerns, with snakes reaching full adulthood.
Safer Breeding Alternatives
To avoid the lethal Super Motley outcome, breeders often choose to try one of the combos below.
Pair a Hypo Motley with a normal boa → This guarantees 50% Hypo and 50% Motley offspring, without Super Motley risk.
Pair a Hypo Motley with a Hypo boa → Produces 25% Super Hypo, 25% Hypo, 25% Motley, and 25% Normal—again, no lethal Super Motley.
Motley and Colour Morphs
Motley boas enhance various colour morphs, including:
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Albino Motley – Produces bold, high-contrast Albino boas.
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Motley Sunglow (Hypo Albino) – A visually striking combination of Hypo, Albino, and Motley.
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IMG Motley (Increasing Melanin Gene) – When combined with the IMG gene, Motley boas darken rapidly, turning almost jet black early in life.
Because most colour genes in boas are incomplete dominant, at least one parent must either be visual for the trait or heterozygous (visual single gene expression) for it, with one parent for example carrying the Motley gene to produce Motley offspring.
Below are combinations of Boa morphs that include Motley
