Hongkongensis aquatic morphs

[juraj]

Hi all
I`ve got a little experiment to share. I try to keep one group of this year`s batch of morphs aquatic way . It`s probably incorrect but it`s possible. They look healthy and there were no drowning accidents. One big advantage is easy feeding.

 

[joseph]

Very cool! If you gave them a chance do you think they would try to become terrestrial?

 

[juraj]

I think so.

 

[TJ]

Best of luck Jorge!

I hope it works. A couple of years ago, I failed miserably with this species -- both with adults and with morphs -- and have shied away from it ever since. The larvae though are just the coolest thing ever!

How well are they feeding in the water at this stage? Do keep us updated as this experiment progresses!

 

[juraj]

Hi Tim,
they are good feeders though a little clumsy when catching daphnia.

 

[juraj]

Little update of this. They still do fine though they don`t seem to be growing faster than terrestrial ones.

 

[TJ]

Fantastic job, Jurac! You're an inspiration to us all

Any more details you can give us about how you succeeded in getting them to go aquatic would be appreciated.

Did you start them out in shallow water and then increase it's depth? Do they have an option of land? Do they stay in the water or rest on plants near the surface of the water with their heads or bodies out of the water?

 

[jennifer]

I am doubly surprised. First, I'm surprised that it was possible to keep them aquatic. I have no experience with Parameso morphs, but based on what I've read, they sound like they are usually strongly terrestrial. Second, I'm surprised that the aquatic ones haven't grown faster than terrestrial ones. You must be very good at supplying terrestrial food.

 

[juraj]

Tim: I`ve been keeping them in the same tank/environment where I raised them as larvae. It`s plastic ratt box 50*30 cm and 8 -10 cm of water. I noticed that most of freshly metamorphosed specimens in this tank didn`t tend leave the water so I put some egeria in and left them in this setup. I always see some of them on the bottom hunting for food and some of them on plants near the water surface. They have no option of land but sometimes especially after changing of water they climb and stay stuck under lid for a while.

 

[juraj]

Hi,
latest news is that I`ve had to stop this because of some sudden deaths. The rest stays definitely terrestrial.

 

[ralf]

Thanks for the update, Juraj. Sorry to hear about the losses. Any idea why they died?

 

[TJ]

That's too bad, Juraj. I was counting on your success in this experiment, especially because I have some Paramesotriton caudopunctatus larvae that I'd wanted to raise aquatic once they morph. But given my catastrophic experience with trying to get something as supposedly easy as Cynops cyanurus to go aquatic (though some did), I was having second thoughts anyway about trying this out with land-hugging Paramesotriton metamorphs. Nice try though! How are they doing on land? Eating readily?

I'm unaware of anybody having raised Paramesotriton metamorphs all the way through to adulthood. Anybody succeeded in this or know of anybody who has?

 

[chris]

Tim,
regarding caudopunctatus morphs - Jessica Miller of Livingunderworld (see the P. caudopunctatus photo gallery on livingunderworld.org) seems to have kept juveniles aquatic.
The behaviour of morphs seems to differ between specis - some of my fuzhongensis morphs chose to dessicate behind a (since removed) piece of plastic edging in the morphing tank rather than go back to the water like Juraj's hongkongensis.

Some of juraj's oldest orphs must be nearing adulthood now, and I know Ralf had some fuzhongensis mrphs which had gone back into the water naturally. I remember a juvenile male with blue highlights already on its tail. How are these doing now?

Chris

 

[juraj]

Hi,
Ralf: I have no idea but in any case aquatic juveniles are probably much more sensitive to bacteria etc. I`ve never observed mass dying in terrestrially kept batches.
Tim, Chris: yes I keep some four years old hongkongensis and also fuzhongensis from Ralf`s stock. All these animals are fully aquatic over 10cm long. They look like adults but they need a year or two to get full sexual maturity.