C.e.popei larvae

[TJ]

 

[TJ]

Now, check out the set of gills on this one I observed in the wild

 

[ralf]

Tim, the size of gills also depends on the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in the water. There might be more oxygen in your tank water than in some of the natural ponds this species inhabits.

Ralf

 

[TJ]

Good point, but in this particular pool of water there were other larvae without such huge gills. I wonder if it might not be C.ensicauda at all but actually E.andersoni

At the time we came across it, it had started to rain pretty heavily and the water level was rising fast so we had to make a getaway.

 

[craig]

Hi Tim, in regard to it possibly being E.andersoni, I'm thinking in my experience probably not as my larvae were more gold in color and had the red gills.It may have been in an isolated pool with low oxygen as Ralf stated maybe only being reunited into the pond with the other larvae by the rains???

 

[TJ]

Hi Craig. That's a highly possible scenario. Here another shot of it. .

(Message edited by TJ on February 16, 2004)

 

[TJ]

It being an E.andersoni was just wishful thinking on my part. But here's a lighter-shaded one for you from the same pool of water.

Did I just hear somebody say "more gold in color", "reddish gills"...

 

[craig]

Tim, great shot and yes that looks more like andersoni to me, habitat for egg laying local sounds good based on your description of temporary pools and the leaf litter at the edge looks good ect for nesting sites... I would say almost certainly andersoni...which is of great interest as you were there in early December and according to literature I have read they breed from late February to early June...that is a very young larvae from what I can see development wise.
Thanks for the pic....

 

[TJ]

I just got a confirmation from a Japanese expert who told me the pictured larvae is "100% E.andersoni". He said that besides the color of the body and the gills, another thing to ascertain is whether the head is large in proportion to the body, which should be slimmer than C.ensciauda.

Ah, what a thrill, though a belated one

This is actually not a temporary pool but sort of a heavily vegetated jungle backwater of a stream. The Japanese Red Data book entry for E.andersoni says that the species breeds from February to around July, that the eggs hatch within 22-27 days, and that the larvae take 2-3 months to morph. But it's also the case with C.ensicauda that in the mountainous far north of Okinawa, where temperatures are cooler, breeding takes place earlier than elsewhere.

 

[TJ]

This is the only other shot I got of it:

 

[craig]

HI Tim, curious about temperatures at the time you were there? Does it get very cool during the winter or is it fairly temperate?

 

[TJ]

During my visit, temperatures at mid-level elevations ranged from a high of 20C during the day to a low of 14C at night, though the wind chill factor made it felt colder. Temperatures in the far north (where that pic was taken) are generally a couple of degrees lower than in the south. The year-round temperature in the north averages 21‚b, while average monthly temperatures range from 13C to 16C between December and March (with January and February being the coldest months), and from 20C to 28C between April and November (with July and August being the hottest months). Temperatures hardly ever dip below 13C in the winter.

 

[craig]

Tim, thanks!!!

 

[TJ]

No problem, your question came just as I was working on temperature and precipitation information for my report

 

[jennifer]

There is year-round temperature information for Okinawa in Ralf's C. ensicauda caresheet.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_ensicauda.shtml