This list is non-exhaustive and new genes will continue to be added as the game grows!

This page hosts information and examples of each marking gene. Markings give your phony patterns and a lot of individual flair, and there's several ways that each gene can be expressed for plenty of freedom.

There are three layers of markings: Bottom, Middle and Top.

  • Bottom layer markings are often large, simplistic markings which other markings are layered on top of.
  • Middle layer markings are interesting patterns which go on top of the more simple markings.
  • Top layer markings are small detail-oriented markings which go on top of every other marking.

Bottom Layer Markings

Blanket (Bk)

Blanket is a dominant gene which makes a marking on the back of the phony. This would include the spine, tops of legs, back of neck and top of head.

  • Can be hard or soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Bk) or two colored if homozygous (BK)

#1 - Blanket covering a large area with a hard edge

#2 - Blanket covering a smaller area with a soft edge


Countershade (Cs)

Countershade is a dominant gene which makes a marking on the underside of the phony.

  • Can be hard or soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Cs) or two colored if homozygous (CS)

#1 - Countershade covering a large area with a hard edge

#2 - Countershade covering a small area with a soft edge


Rear (Re)

Rear is a dominant gene which covers the behind of a phony to about halfway through the torso. Like a pair of pants!

  • Can be hard or soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Re) or two colored if homozygous (RE)

#1 - Heterozygous rear (1 color) with a hard edge

#2 - Homozygous rear (2 color) with a soft edge


Hood (Ho)

Hood is a dominant gene which covers the head of the phony and optionally the neck. This marking can be simple or more intricate.

  • Can be hard or soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Ho) or two colored if homozygous (HO)

#1 - Hood covering the maximum allowed area in a simple shape

#2 - Hood covering only the face with a more intricate shape


Saddle (Sd)

Saddle is a dominant gene which covers the back of a phony similarly to blanket, except it includes a bar which wraps around the phony's belly.

  • Hard edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Sd) or two colored if homozygous (SD)

#1 - Saddle covering a larger area

#2 - Saddle covering a smaller area with the bar closer to the rear


Blushed (Bl)

Blushed is a dominant gene which covers the extremities of a phony, such as the mouth or feet.

  • Soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Bl) or two colored if homozygous (BL)

#1 - Homozygous blushed showing two colors.

#2 - Heterozygous blushed showing one color


Diffuse (Ds)

Diffuse is a dominant gene which creates large soft markings in any shape anywhere on the body.

  • Soft edged
  • Single color if heterozygous (Bl) or two colored if homozygous (BL)

#1 - Heterozygous diffuse creating large patches.

#2 - Homozygous diffuse creating spots in two colors.


Core (Co)

Core is a dominant gene which makes a spot or two on the sides of a phony.

  • Hard edged
  • Two colored, regardless of zygousness

#1 - Homozygous core making two spots of similar colors.

#2 - Heterozygous core creating a single spot of differing colors.

Middle Layer Markings

Koi (Ko)

Koi is a dominant gene that creates either two-toned splotches (If heterozygous - Ko) or tri-toned splotches (If homozygous - KO) anywhere on the phony's body. The blobs must be hard edged, but can be any color from the bank.

  • #1 - Heterozygous koi using two colors, one lighter than the base and one darker.
  • #2 - Homozygous koi using three colors.


Lateral Stripe (Ls)

Lateral Stripe is a dominant gene that creates a stripe along the length of the phony. It can only be hard edged but it can be up to two colors if heterozygous (Ls) or up to four colors if homozygous (LS). Homozygous lateral stripe can be in two "chunks" as well.

  • #1 - Heterozygous lateral stripe in only one color and only one chunk.
  • #2 - Homozygous lateral stripe in two chunks and three colors.

Dorsal (Do)

Dorsal is a dominant gene that creates a hard edged marking that covers the spine and the feet. It doesn't need to cover all feet and it also doesn't need to extend down the entire spine. Single color if heterozygous (Do) or two colored if homozygous (DO)

  • #1 - Dorsal covering the spine and all feet.
  • #2 - Homozygous dorsal only covering one foot.

Socks (So)

Socks is a dominant gene that creates a hard edged marking that covers the feet and legs. It doesn't need to cover all feet, in fact it can only cover one or two of them, but it shouldn't be so small in size that it mimics the feet marks on Dorsal. Heterozygous socks (So) must be a single color and homozygous socks (SO) may be two colors.

  • #1 - Socks covering up to the heel.
  • #2 - Hom. Socks covering a smaller area and showing different ways the marking can be two colors.

Spots (Sp)

Spots is a dominant gene that creates circular markings. They must be single colored and hard edged. The spots can be of any frequency and size as long as they don't mimic other markings like stars, core or koi. Spots also cannot touch each other to create new shapes. Single color if heterozygous (Sp) or two colored if homozygous (SP)

  • #1 - Spots.
  • #2 - Spots with a very low frequency.

Scales (Sc)

Scales is a dominant gene that creates scale shaped markings on the phony. They may mimic any type of scale as long as it doesn't look too much like another marking such as spots or paint. The scales can be anywhere on the body and in any size or color, but they must be hard edged. Homozygous scales (SC) may use two colors.

  • #1 - Scales mimicking that of a carp or arowana.
  • #2 - Scales mimicking scutes.

Paint (Pt)

Paint is a dominant gene that creates numerous small bean or oval shaped markings anywhere on the phony's body. They must be single colored and hard edged. Paint shouldn't look too much like spots (be too round) or scales (be too sharp), but not every single paint spot has to be perfectly bean shaped. Single color if heterozygous (Pt) or two colored if homozygous (PT)

  • #1 - Paint covering only the neck and side of the head.
  • #2 - Paint covering most of the body.

Banded (Ba)

Banded is a dominant gene that creates large, broad bands that wrap around a phony vertically. Must be hard edged. The bands don't have to be frequent. Bands must be thick enough to not be mistaken for vertical line. Single color if heterozygous (Ba) or two colored if homozygous (BA)

  • #1 - Banded with a regular frequency.
  • #2 - Banded with an irregular frequency and thinner width.

Horizontal Line (Hz)

Horizontal line is a dominant gene that creates numerous thin lines that follow the phony's lateral line from the eye to the tail. The lines must be hard edged and a single color. These lines have to wrap around the phony and can't stop mid-body, and should be parallel to one another. The lines can be slightly curved as long as they don't start to appear like Free Line. The lines don't have to have identical frequencies or thicknesses. Single color if heterozygous (Hz) or two colored if homozygous (HZ)

  • #1 - Horizontal line with lines with different frequencies.
  • #2 - Horizontal line with lines of different thicknesses.

Vertical Line (Ve)

Vertical line is a dominant gene that creates many lines that wrap around a phony's body vertically. They may be various thicknesses as long as they're thin and don't mimic banded, and can be spaced out in different ways. These lines have to wrap around the phony and can't stop mid-body, and should be parallel to one another. The lines can be slightly curved as long as they don't start to appear like Free Line. The lines must be hard edged. Single color if heterozygous (Ve) or two colored if homozygous (VE)

  • #1 - Vertical line with gaps in spacing.
  • #2 - Vertical line with variance in thickness.

Free Line (Fl)

Free line is a dominant gene that creates a bunch of lines that wrap around a phony's body in any shape, direction or angle. They can be various thicknesses and can be spaced out closely or far apart. These lines have to wrap around the phony and can't stop mid-body. Hard edged, and can't mimic vertical or horizontal line. You are legally required to have fun with the line direction here! Single color if heterozygous (Fl) or two colored if homozygous (FL)

  • #1 - Free line creating a lot of thin irregular lines.
  • #2 - Free line creating a few thicker, smoother lines.

Rosettes (Ro)

Rosettes is a dominant gene that creates many intricate rosette-shaped markings mimicking various animals, anywhere on the phony's body. Must be hard edged. Single color if heterozygous (Ro) or two colored if homozygous (RO)

  • #1 - Rosettes mimicking those of a leopard covering a large area.
  • #2 - Rosettes mimicking those of a mbu pufferfish covering two legs and the back, head and neck.

Stripes (Sr)

Stripes is a dominant gene that creates many tapered lines which may point any direction. They can wrap around the legs, but on larger areas like the torso they cannot wrap around the entire body. (That's what vertical/horizontal line is for!) The stripes must be hard edged. Single color if heterozygous (Sr) or two colored if homozygous (SR)

  • #1 - Stripes.
  • #2 - Stripes in a light color mimicking those of a numbat.

Chevron (Ch)

Chevron is a dominant gene that creates numerous lines which always converge along the phony's lateral line. They may be anywhere on the phony and may also change direction. The markings must be hard edged. Single color if heterozygous (Ch) or two colored if homozygous (CH)

  • #1 - Chevron covering the whole body.
  • #2 - Chevron only covering the head.

Broken Trail (Bt)

Broken Trail is a dominant gene that adds lines that go in any direction (like Free Line) and can vary in thickness and amount. The main point with this marking is that these lines must be interrupted in some way. This can be making the line dotted, adding cuts into the line, so on and so forth. Feel free to get creative with it! Hom BT can be two-toned.

  • #1 - Broken Trail creating a dotted line.
  • #2 - Broken Trail creating broken, but not fully cut-off lines.

Kintsugi (Kt)

Kintsugi is a dominant gene that creates hard-edged crack-like markings. These cracks cannot stop mid-body and must either connect to another crack or wrap around. Heterozygous Kintsugi (Kt) must be single-colored but Homozygous Kintsugi (KT) can either have a two-toned gradient or a hard-edged lighter set of cracks on the inside.

This gene was designed by Glitchy55 in the 2024 Summer Event's Gene Contest.

  • #1 - Heterozygous Kintsugi.
  • #2 - Homozygous Kintsugi creating a lighter set of cracks inside the marking.

Top Layer Markings

False Eye (Fe)

False eye is a dominant gene that creates an eye-like marking (circular, with a dot in the middle) using as many colors from the bank as desired. Heterozygous false eye (Fe) can create one eye on each side of the phony, while homozygous (FE) can create up to three per side.

  • #1 - Heterozygous false eye using four colors.
  • #2 - Homozygous false eye creating three eyes.


Stars (St)

Stars is a dominant marking that creates small, pinprick points on a phony which can either be circular or star shaped. They must be in random placements, and can be either lighter or darker than the base. They can be in various frequencies from occasional dots to dense freckles. Single color if heterozygous (St) or two colored if homozygous (ST)

  • #1 - Circular stars.
  • #2 - Star-shaped stars.

Trail (Tr)

Trail is a dominant marking that creates a single-file line of dot markings which travel down the phony's lateral line. Heterozygous (Tr) trail can show one trail, while homozygous (TR) can show multiple trails of dots. Dots may also connect to form dashes. Single color if heterozygous (Tr) or two colored if homozygous (TR)

  • #1 - Heterozygous trail creating one trail.
  • #2 - Homozygous trail creating three trails and dashes.