Marbleds -- laying eggs

[TJ]

 

[david]

Nice looking girl. Congrats Tim

 

[TJ]

Thanks guys!

I awoke this morning to find a couple of dozen more eggs

I haven't yet removed the eggs. Does this species often prey on its own eggs like Cynops species do?

 

[rubén]

Thanks for sharing Tim : Awesome quality of these pics

Yes, prey position is usual T. marmoratus when is laying eggs. But I have seen eggs also over stones and grass.

 

[TJ]

Thanks Ruben, it's my pleasure

But I think there's a language misunderstanding.
I shouldn't really have said "prey on" when all I meant was just "eat"

(prey=presa), prayer=rezo)

So do marbled newts tend to eat their own eggs?

 

[david]

I haven't seen any signs of mine eating eggs. Larvae are a different matter though

 

[rubén]

Sorry

I was reading without attention. According with the bibliography, T. marmoratus doesn't eat his eggs during the breeding period. This behavior was observed often in Lissotriton genus ( boscai and vulgaris mainly ) and sometimes in Mesotriton alpestris.

 

[TJ]

 

[jennifer]

Wow, busy newts, Tim! You have so many eggs, you may be glad about the 50% egg mortality

 

[pin-pin]

Congrats Tim!

I've had no luck. They just eat and eat and then sit around. Perhaps next year.

 

[TJ]

Thanks!

By the way, I have indeed observed an adult eating eggs

Or at least that's what it seemed to me to be doing...

The eggs are hatching (I noticed the first hatchling 2 days ago) and I now find myself with 15 or so larvae to care for, with many more on the way.

The 50% egg mortality is evident, and yes, it's welcomed!

 

[wm.]

Can you tell if the adult was eating the infertile or fertile (or random) eggs. I know some of my geckos will eats eggs that are infertile (to get the calcium back, yes I know there is not a lot of calcium in newt eggs but it could be a sourse of protien)

 

[TJ]

That may have been the case. I'll try and be a little more observant

 

[sharon]

ROTFL - this is like waiting for a birth on my mothers' board - on pins and needles here!!

 

[rubén]

Tim

Just one thing. What percentage of infertile eggs do you obtain in a normal spawn? 50 % or more? with my marbled newts I usually have 75 % of egg mortality.

 

[TJ]

Hi,

It's hard to estimate, but certainly at least 50% of the eggs were duds. There are so many white tufts but I haven't made an effort to count. The percentage could conceivably be as high as 75%. No complaints, as I still got at least 60 larvae from this first batch of eggs.