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I'm not quite sure what you were trying to say, but it certainly is possible to have a broken harlie (small "h," as in the pattern, not the breed). Harlies are not essentially brokens, broken is an entirely different gene. The allele that causes the harlequin pattern occurs in the "E" series. En, the broken gene, is at a totally separate locus. Just because a rabbit has two colors in its coat, doesn't make it a broken! Himi's aren't brokens, nor are Dutch; and they are always some other color plus white.
The broken gene creates a specific, easily recognisable pattern. There is some color on the ears, some around the eyes, some on the nose, some on the back. The paws are almost always white, there is almost always white on the chest and belly. Depending on how many pattern enhancing genes are involved, you may have a great pattern, or a poor one, but it is clearly the broken pattern.
The harlequin gene causes some areas in the coat to be flooded with eumelanin (the black pigment) and some areas wind up entirely lacking it. In breeds like the Rhinelander, the areas of black and orange are fairly small, not at all like the big bands of color we require of the Harlie. The harlequin gene is responsible for the black and orange appearing in separate areas of the hair, there are other genes that dictate just where and how big those areas are. The Rhinelander also has the broken gene, so showable Rhinelanders are all (genetically) broken harlequins (small "h"). In the areas where color appears on the Rhinelander, there are supposed to be both black and orange hairs visible. In fact, having too much of one color or the other in some areas (to the degree that that area is only one color) is a DQ. The rex breeds and some lop breeds don't recognise the solid harlequin, but they do recognise the broken harlequin, referring to it in their standards as the tricolor.
I raise and have raised ARBA Dutch, American Sable, and English Lops for years; I understand how the broken pattern works and keep detailed genetic records of my herd. I was attempting to keep it on the simplistic side of things; I was not delving into genetics but rather ARBA standards and color chart. In accordance to the ARBA a broken triocolor is not considered a variant of the harlie, as no proper banding is present yet they carry the ej allele. Genetically they carry both the Enen (broken allele with EnEn being a Charlie and enen being a solid) as well as ej being the harlequin allele. However they are not classified as broken harlequins with the ARBA. The tricolor being a completely different set of markings lacking the proper banding and split that is seen in a true harlequin. Hence there are no broken Harlequins, simply broken tricolors; genetically parallel, yet classified as two separate entities.
My project for the near future is to get the Tricolored English Lop started. Hence all the aggravation about the harlequin terms being thrown around. As the modern tricolor would be laughed at by true harlie breeders.
I'm not quite sure what you were trying to say, but it certainly is possible to have a broken harlie (small "h," as in the pattern, not the breed). Harlies are not essentially brokens, broken is an entirely different gene. The allele that causes the harlequin pattern occurs in the "E" series. En, the broken gene, is at a totally separate locus. Just because a rabbit has two colors in its coat, doesn't make it a broken! Himi's aren't brokens, nor are Dutch; and they are always some other color plus white.
The broken gene creates a specific, easily recognisable pattern. There is some color on the ears, some around the eyes, some on the nose, some on the back. The paws are almost always white, there is almost always white on the chest and belly. Depending on how many pattern enhancing genes are involved, you may have a great pattern, or a poor one, but it is clearly the broken pattern.
The harlequin gene causes some areas in the coat to be flooded with eumelanin (the black pigment) and some areas wind up entirely lacking it. In breeds like the Rhinelander, the areas of black and orange are fairly small, not at all like the big bands of color we require of the Harlie. The harlequin gene is responsible for the black and orange appearing in separate areas of the hair, there are other genes that dictate just where and how big those areas are. The Rhinelander also has the broken gene, so showable Rhinelanders are all (genetically) broken harlequins (small "h"). In the areas where color appears on the Rhinelander, there are supposed to be both black and orange hairs visible. In fact, having too much of one color or the other in some areas (to the degree that that area is only one color) is a DQ. The rex breeds and some lop breeds don't recognise the solid harlequin, but they do recognise the broken harlequin, referring to it in their standards as the tricolor.
I raise and have raised ARBA Dutch, American Sable, and English Lops for years; I understand how the broken pattern works and keep detailed genetic records of my herd. I was attempting to keep it on the simplistic side of things; I was not delving into genetics but rather ARBA standards and color chart. In accordance to the ARBA a broken triocolor is not considered a variant of the harlie, as no proper banding is present yet they carry the ej allele. Genetically they carry both the Enen (broken allele with EnEn being a Charlie and enen being a solid) as well as ej being the harlequin allele. However they are not classified as broken harlequins with the ARBA. The tricolor being a completely different set of markings lacking the proper banding and split that is seen in a true harlequin. Hence there are no broken Harlequins, simply broken tricolors; genetically parallel, yet classified as two separate entities.
My project for the near future is to get the Tricolored English Lop started. Hence all the aggravation about the harlequin terms being thrown around. As the modern tricolor would be laughed at by true harlie breeders.
