Oita Salamander (<i>Hynobius dunni</i>)

Great news, Henk!
biggrin.gif


It's interesting how the males swarm around the deposited egg sacs -- not the females -- during the height of the breeding.

With external fertilization and all, I suppose that makes perfect sense.

It's not very "sexy" though
lol.gif


It sure would be nice if you could post some video clips of them breeding!
 
Hi Chris.

There's really no need to mess with brine shrimp as size-wise, the larvae are ready to eat live tubifex upon leaving the sac.

I've witnessed no cannibalization yet -- though that doesn't mean it hasn't happened! It's pretty common among Hynobiids. I'm keeping their stomachs full as a deterrent.

Still, I should count them to be sure. Out of the over two dozen larvae, I've so far noticed only one fatality -- yesterday it was -- and that larva seemed a bit chewed up.
 
The larvae feeding aggressively and have really bulked up in size. Their back legs are growing:

33867.jpg
 
They're over 4 cm now
biggrin.gif


34019.jpg
 
missing a chunk of tail:

34022.jpg


(Message edited by TJ on April 09, 2005)
 
Thanks Pamela.

If you liked those, you're sure to like this:
biggrin.gif
:

34033.jpg
 
Tim - lovely larvae! Can you tell me about the adult animal whose photo you posted above, March 23? Is it a full-fledged adult, or is it a young adult still showing the juvenile blue highlights?
 
Sweet, arent't they
biggrin.gif


As for the one you asked about, I think it's a young adult but I'll check again with my buddy. It's certainly not typical though.

It's the same as this one:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/25521.jpg

And here's the brightest of my own young adults:

34088.jpg
 
And here's the ultimate shot I'd been aiming for, and finally got today
biggrin.gif


34091.jpg
 
34766.jpg


After a spate of inexplicable deaths (1 or 2 a day) that ended a week ago, they seem to have stabilized, leaving me with a dozen.

They're truly massive beasts (well, at least as far as Hynobius go) at 5 cm already! The green coloration that adults of this species have is starting to appear.

Among these larvae that all came from the same egg sac, there are basically two color variations -- light and dark -- irrespective of size and degree of development so far as I can tell.

34767.jpg


34768.jpg
 
Almost 2 months after hatching, I have my first morph.
Well, almost. It is still in the water but its gills have disappeared.
I'll be moving it to a new setup this evening.

35946.jpg


35947.jpg


35948.jpg
 
Observe the differences today in size, color, and pattern between these two H. dunni hatched from the same egg sac between March 19 and March 22. As a larva begins to morph, it not only loses its gills but undergoes a change in coloration/pattern and shrinks somewhat in size -- or so it seems
biggrin.gif


35970.jpg


35971.jpg
 
A comparison of an H. dunni that hatched in March this year with a possibly gravid one that hatched in March 2003:

36076.jpg


(Message edited by TJ on May 15, 2005)
 
Very nice pics of the different life stages! Lovely sals. The bluish mottling on the green is striking. Thank you Tim!
happy.gif
 
My pleasure
biggrin.gif


Well, it turns out that I have one among this year's morphs that is the bluest of any I have ever seen before in this species:

42451.jpg
 
Here's a photo of the same animal taken today, over 3 months after the last:

49273.jpg
 
absolutely wonderful Tim! I'm glad that they have been doing so well for you, and that they have colored up so nicely!

I've observed the Hynobius forum from afar for quite some time now, and I must say that although a seemingly dull genus, you have definitely found a diamond in the ruff.... not that I have anything against dull caudates ;).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top