Lissotriton italicus

[coendeurloo]

About a week ago I saw this male climbing up the wall. My group of 5 L. italicus was getting more and more active as temperatures dropped. I decided to snag a photo of it, since I also noticed the enlarged cloaca.

I also noticed the female getting a bit fatter, so I prepared a tank for them. After aging the water for a few days, I introduced the animals. 3 of them immediatly entered the water, 2 males and 1 female. 2 more juvenile animals remained on land, one of those has also entered the water now.

And, a day after their introduction to the tank, the males were already tailfanning:

Temps are 8-15 degrees celcius (45-60 fahrenheit)

 

[Azhael]

Congratulations Coen!!!
That male sure is interested. I wish you the best of lucks
It amazes me how incredibly similar to L.boscai they look, it sure tricks my eyes.

 

[Jake]

Good luck breeding them this year, Coen. You're lucky to have them. The newts and set-up look great.

 

[coendeurloo]

Thanks for the nice comments! My christmas present is just on time; L. italicus eggs!

Find the egg:

A male:

A female:

Don't even think she is enjoying her moment of rest now...:

 

[Azhael]

Wonderful!!
Brilliant christmas present n_n
This species is sooooooooo rarely seen in the hobby....populate europe Coen!!! xD

 

[coendeurloo]

Progress so far:

 

[JoeTurtleKing]

That is soooo awesome. I hope i get good enough at newts to breed them 1 day soon. I can breed turtles now im working on getting familiar enough to breed me some newt hopefully iran newts and hopefully in the near future.

 

[Jake]

Well done, Coen! The larvae look amazing. How many are you planning on raising?

 

[coendeurloo]

I hope they will all reach metamorphosis of course...Though I'm not sure about the exact number, I roughly estimate I have about 40-50 larvae now, distributed in different small boxes and some still in egg. The female is still laying...

 

[Azhael]

big congrats Coen!!!!
Best of lucks with them...metamorphosis is going to be a pain though, so get those larvae big and fat xD

 

[coendeurloo]

Thanks Azhael, do you have any experience with these specie since you are talking about the metamorphosis being a pain (apart from their obvious tiny-ness )?

 

[Azhael]

Oh no no coen, i don´t hehe.
I just said that because of the tiny size they will have when they morph. It makes things more complicated but i´m sure you´ll succeed.
Oh, and please keep us posted

 

[coendeurloo]

I wish I could be as sure as you are Azhael, I know I'll do my best to take care of the morphs, but I have absolutely no experience with morphs this size...

 

[caleb]

I've raised italicus a couple of times- when mine metamorphosed they were just large enough to take full-sized bloodworm. They can grow very quickly- this is the only newt species I've raised to maturity in one year.

Mine are quite happy staying aquatic all year round, some don't even try to leave the water at metamorphosis.

 

[coendeurloo]

I've raised italicus a couple of times- when mine metamorphosed they were just large enough to take full-sized bloodworm. They can grow very quickly- this is the only newt species I've raised to maturity in one year.

Mine are quite happy staying aquatic all year round, some don't even try to leave the water at metamorphosis.

Thanks Caleb! I'm sure they will eat tubifex as morphs in that case. They eat tubifex and daphnia now too as larvae. If they decide to be terrestrial I could also offer them springtails and fruitflies.

What was the size of your morphs?

 

[caleb]

I'm sure they will eat tubifex as morphs in that case. They eat tubifex and daphnia now too as larvae. If they decide to be terrestrial I could also offer them springtails and fruitflies.

What was the size of your morphs?

I think they were about 3cm total length. Tubifex should be fine after metamorphosis. I also use a lot of whiteworm- these are good for terrestrial and aquatic individuals.

 

[coendeurloo]

Thanks for the info Caleb, in that case it won't be long untill some larvae morph as they are getting close to 3 cm. I also feed them enchytrae every now and then. I forgot to share this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqZ0MszWtpw

 

[Jake]

Nice video! Your set up and animals look great!

 

[Italicus]

hi all
sorry for my english

I have some problem with the feeding the animal after they have metomorphosis, can I have some suggestions?
I have whiteworms and chironomus

 

[Azhael]

Italicus, my knowledge of italian laws is scarce...but i would make sure to check if you are actually allowed to keep this species. European laws in general tend to forbid or at the very least control the captive care of native species.
Some countries allow keeping CB animals, other´s completely forbid all native species from being kept in captivity. Most countries forbid capturing or even disturbing wild animals but might allow keeping CB stock(with the apropriate papers).

If you caught this animals, please note that it´s not only illegal but also inmoral, due to the state of european caudate populations.

Sorry for the speech, i just think it needs to be said.