A high-frequency albinism variant on the gulf coast of Papua.

An apparently recessively inherited albinism variant characterized by skin tanning, light but not white hair, uniformly pigmented irides varying in colour from hazel to dark brown, slight nystagmus, divergent strabismus, mild hyperkeratosis and only slight or absent photophobia, occurs among the Elema-speaking peoples of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea at frequencies indicating that the gene which produces it is polymorphic. It is readily distinguishable from both classical types of albinism, from the "redskin" variant also found in Papua New Guinea, and from the "yellow mutant" albinism of North America. The differences from the African types of "albinoidism" or "partial albinism" are less marked, and it may represent a similar mutation with simply a different distribution of the melanosomes in the two peoples, Allelism, or lack of it, with classical tyrosinase-positive albinism has not been determined.