Newt confusion

[ribby]

Hi, I have some ribbed newts and i was wonder if the male has the bump on the cloacla or a slit. I am almost sure the female has the slit but the female keeps wresting on top the male and the male's bump looks bigger, thanks.

 

[paris]

in ribbed newts, it is the male that wrestles the female on top of him. he usually waits below looking out for a female and snatches on to one that swims over him. the male will carry the female around on his back for a long time before actually doing the mating dance (they will circle around each other usually with one set of arms locked-like square dancers). this carry around is a sign of breeding age but not necessarily breeding-they will also do it when excited by food. both the male and female have slits -its just the males is extremely swollen and a longer slit.

 

[jeff]

so the males have a bump right?

 

[felipe]

Its easy!!! In ribbed newts, the male have visible larger and stroger arms, and the arms of the feamele is normal!

 

[jeff]

well normal is a subjective term, I mainly wanted to know if the large bump on the abdomen is the sender of spermaphors or to receive them.
But I am quite sure at this point who is what sex.

 

[al]

Both sexes can have some enlargement of their cloaca. The males will be larger according to their age and size. As you probably know the male is slender with more pronounced forearm with distinguishable nuptial pads that look like "muscles". the female is larger and more rotund. The male deposits spermatophores and the female picks them up. They will breed year round, but the males seem to only produce viable spermatophores 6 months out of the year (fall-spring). I have found younger males are willing to do the breeding dance, but may not be able to properly manipulate the females over the spermatophore. It appears with most species, age and size directly relates to fecundity (fertility).