Cynops ensicauda ensicauda - male's story

I want to post you my pictures showing how the tail sheen was developing for the first time in my male Cynops ensicauda ensicauda, and at start, entire story how the newt was growing - i got him as a 4,5 cm juvenile - now he's approximately 12 cm long.

Ok - we start in August 2008. Nitager and Tali (now pair) are with me for 3 months. I have just got them aquatic, they're living with group of orientalis newts.



In water, the growth of newt was very fast, tail got higher and at this moment he's appetite was quite big, he overgrown second ensicauda and i was pretty sure he's a female.

here among plastic strips - it was in orientalis breeding season and newts were making massacre of plants, targeting on eggs.


After some time, when they were bigger than my orientalis females, i moved ensicaudas to their own tank. For some reason i don't remember, i put both in terrestial box and they were there for some weeks. When i moved them to water again i got stunned... My "female" was following the second newt and fanning it with "her" tail! After a month or so, flash picture (by eye it was invisible) i saw white spots on the end of the tail.



Two months later... calendar competition picture


Later. Again in orientalis tank for photo session - there i have better light so i can take better shot.



I was sure that it won't develop longer, it was his first breeding season... but i was wrong. There's shine some weeks ago.
Badly, his tank-girl is not interested with him for now

A very beautiful male indeed. I have this species also. It's a wildcaught group from 1993. They were adults back then. So they are at least 19 years old, doing well, and also breeding

Joost amazing 19 years old... Older than me! LOL

Mine are CB, from, i guess, only ensicauda breeder in Poland. Can i ask you how big are tail sheens in your adult males?

Well, like this. I've just made this picture for this occasion

regards Joost

So beautiful! Thank you!

eljorgo said:

Joost amazing 19 years old... Older than me! LOL

Click to expand...

haha, well, I don't have them that long! A friend gave them (3 pairs) along with 2 pairs of wildcaught popei (captured in 1997, so these are at least 15 years old). He often goes to the Asian areas.

I have 2 male C. ensicauda ensicauda. They have bred successfully, but they have very little tail sheen, almost nothing to see. Yours is quite impressive.

The tail sheen is not that important for good breeding. If a female could choose between a male with a high sheen and a male without it, she should choose the male with a high sheen. That would be understandable for us. But it is the most dominant male, with our without the tail sheen

Is it so that popei doesnt have the sheen on the tail on breeding season? And only C.e.e. has it? I really would like to know if this is really the difference with these two species.