Paramesotriton hongkongensis juveniles

[chris]

These are the two (roughly) 18 month old juvies I have from Juraj's batch last year. I lost a lot of the larvae due to predation to cyclops...interestingly not a problem I've had with the fuzhongejsis larvae. These two are now getting on for 3 inches.
I keep them in a fairly dry woodland-type setup which is tilted slightly to provide a moisture gradient. They spend the day in the stacks of corkbark at the dry end (providing different areas of moisture levels) and then forrage for worms, woodlice etc. mainly at the wetter end among beech leaves at night. The bellies aren't as orange as I'd like, but they were picky eaters as larvae and I focussed upon making sure that they survived rather than getting them to develop red bellies.

Chris

 

[alan]

V. nice Chris.
Could we see a picture of the whole setup?

 

[chris]

Well, I'll have to borrow my uncles camera again, so as soon as I can do so, I'll take some pics. Its very simple, so I'll try to describe it in a bit more detail.
The substrate is about 3 inches of garden topsoil (my soil is sandy) mixed with some leaf mould from a beech-wood. I use the layer in which the leaves have been broken down into tiny pieces, but are still pieces of leaf, as opposed to soil.
This is mixed in a ratio of about 4:3 (very roughly - I don't actually measure anything out).
This is placed into the tank and very slightly compressed. The tank is tilted lengthwise (so the lifting-wedge is underneath one of the short sides) so that the lifted end is around an inch off the table.
I planted a small devil's ivy in the lower end of the tank.
There is no water dish (they never used it and it just ended up either flooding the tank or drowning food).
On top of the soil I plave a few pieces of weathered concrete underwhich the newts can hide.
Next a layer of fallen beach leaves is added, about two leaves deep. At the high end of the tank, I place a pile of stacked small pieces of cork bark. This means that the newts can hide in a damp spot at the bottom of the ile, or in a drier spot higher up the pile, which seems to be very important for Paramesotriton hongkongensis morphs.
I spray the tank occasionally to keep it damp, and close the top off with a large bathroom tile (though you could just use a piece of plastic or glass).
As long as the conditions are good, the newts don't seem to attempt to escape, but it still pays to have a tight-fitting lid with no gaps.
The tank is in a very shady corner, and only really gets a bit of light from other tanks, and the tile cuts a lot of that out.
I add a handful of small compost worms (yes, they eat these) about every week or two. I never see the newts eat, but they are growing well so they must be. Occasionally I collect some various bugs from the garden and drop them in afor a change.
After a while the soil 'goes off' slightly and I change it, but replace all the 'ornaments' in the same place. I do a change about once every 2 months.
Pics will follow when I get them, but hopefully the above helps a bit.
Chris

 

[alan]

Thanks! How big was the tank again?

When are you going to try them aquatic? (The adults are permanently aquatic, right?)

 

[chris]

Alan
The tank is about 10gallons??? I'll measure it when I take pics.
I've spoken to Henri Jansens about the juvies, and both he and some other sources say that in nature and captivity they take to water (of their own accord) when they are about 6 years old. However, Juraj forced them into aquatic habits at 16-18 months old. I'm going to leave mine terrestrial as they are doing so well and let them grow a bit more before I try them in water. I tried a couple of months ago and it didn't work. I was scared they would drown, so I put them back in their woodland setup.
Yes, the adults can be kept permanentlyu aquatic, though according to an article I found on the web about river ecosystems in Hongkong, they leave the water outside the breeding season. Apparently little is known about where they go...
Chris

 

[chris]

Here we go (I'm not entirely sure of what the 'Alan' means after the author's name):

'Hong Kong Newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis)'
by Dr Leung Sze Lun, Alan

The Hong Kong newts undergo seasonal breeding migrations. Each year after the end of the wet season around October, the newts move into the stream pools. After breeding, they will eventually leave the pools around December, but the information on where they go is still poor. From a Hong Kong newt migration study I carried out during 1996 to 1997 "The seasonal migration and diet of Hong Kong Newts, Paramesotriton hongkongensis in KFBG and Tai Tam", it was found that at the beginning of the breeding season, the newt population in pools was male-biased. Towards the end of the breeding season, the newt population tended to become female-biased. The males that breed quicker than others may have an advantage since their offspring can hatch earlier. As cannibalism is common in this species, being "bigger" can reduce the risk of being eaten.

Chris

 

[jennifer]

Nice work with a difficult species, Chris!

 

[chris]

Thanks.

Hopefully my fuzhongensis will do as well when they morph...
Chris