Ring lethal: an early embryonic failure in medium white turkeys

Ring lethal denotes an early embryonic failure of developing blastoderms in medium white turkeys that can be recognized macroscopically in situ after 48 hours of incubation. The condition is characterized by a white ring of amorphous cells in the area opaca with or without the presence of cells in the area pellucida. The disorder is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait that is expressed in the homozygous condition. Attempts to elucidate the cause of the ring lethal gene's expression have been unsuccessful. The symbol rl is proposed for the gene.