Egg development in C. pyrrhogaster

[mark]

to be continued.....

 

[richard]

wow, very nice shots! what are you using to take these? what plant were these laid on? how old are they? how many eggs do you have? is this all you expect or is there more newts that are gravid?

 

[mark]

Hi Richard, the photos were taken using a canon DSLR with a macro lens. The adults belong to a friend and have been laying for a few months now. Judging by the size of the female there are many more eggs to come...

 

[john]

Lovely photos Mark.

 

[jennifer]

Quite a nice series, Mark.

Did you happen to record the number of days post-laying for the photos?

 

[mark]

Hi Jen, I didn't record them...but my camera did

! I've just realised there is at least one missing from the above series, I have day 1 too.

The above is; day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 9 and day 13. I'll post a complete series with dates when it's fully developed.

 

[mark]

The whole series.
Day 1

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 9

Day 13

Day 16

Day 18

Day 19

Day 22

 

[richard]

thats pretty cool. i am going to attempt to breed c. orientalis.

 

[jesper]

Nice photos Mark, you have been busy
She has been spitting them out constantly for months now, basically ever since last fall although sometimes just one or two a week and other times a lot more. Judging from the male´s interest in her, not to mention her figure, she´ll keep laying for some time.

 

[mark]

A quick update. This is how the little fella looks today. Feeding on chopped earthworm and starting to colour up nicely.

 

[jennifer]

Very nice, Mark. Somehow I missed seeing this series previously. It just might make its way over to CC

About how old (post-hatching) would you say the larva is now? From the appearance, I'd say 3 months and very close to metamorphosis.

 

[mark]

Hi Jen, I reckon you are spot on - 3 months and maybe a week post hatching. I think he'll morph in a few days.

 

[TJ]

Nice shots, Mark!

I've found it somewhat more difficult to raise C. pyrrhogaster morphs than C. ensicauda morphs because of their smaller size. The trick seems to be to get them to morph as large as possible by keeping them cool while they're still larvae.

 

[mark]

Compared with lissotriton morphs these are giants, the larvae pictured is pushing 4cm in length. Unfortunately cool is not an option as the British weather is embracing the summer wholeheartedly with daytime temperatures of 36 C. Water temperatures in-doors are between 25-28C. Ice packs at the ready…. What size is normal for a C.pyrrhogaster morph?

 

[jennifer]

I would say 4 cm is right on target for a C.p. morph. I'm not convinced that temperature makes much difference in morph size (for me, anyway). I do find that they do better when I leave them with the parents or in heavily-planted tanks with lots of food around.

 

[TJ]

What I was talking about comes from this previous discussion:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/20917.html

 

[mark]

It's an interesting theory but I'm not convinced either. Larvae in cool water may spend longer in the larval stage and thus become bigger. Larvae in warmer water will have higher metabolisms and may too also grow to their full potential if fed well. Personally I think that food is the main factor in larval size. I've had various species where larvae that feed poorly will morph "early" and be smaller than the ones that feed well who morph later.

He's just over 4cm and been kept at a minimum temp of 20C and a maximum of 28C - pretty warm. He's been kept on his own with a plentiful supply of prey.

 

[alberto]

Hello Mark
Thank you so very much for taking the time to share all does wonderful pictures with everyone!
I agree with you and Jen about food been the main factor in larva size. That has been my own experience too!
Once again thank you for the pictures!
Best wishes!