Some Striped Newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus) photos

[pierson]

Hey guys. Just joined the site but have been lurking for a couple years. Here's some shots I thought a few of you might enjoy. I also posted this in the Newt Forum but thought it also pertained to this discussion board.

Striped Newts have gotten pretty rare due to habitat destruction and drought and have largely disappeared from most of their historical ponds in the northern and western parts of their range. Fortunately, they seem to be doing quite well in a few spots in central Florida. I have caught these on several occasions over the past several years but haven't photographed them until recently.

A breeding pond in upland sandhill habitat.

I believe these to be neotenic adults. I've never been able to locate a terrestrial adult in the wild.

I held on to a handful to see if I could get them to metamorphose in captivity.

Fortunately, the several I have in my care have begun to absorb their gills and develop the vestiges of their adult striping.

They're doing well in a basic newt setup but are a bit skittish compared to the viridescens I've kept.

I'll post more photos once they complete their metamorphosis. Awesome forum guys!

 

[ryan]

Great pictures, I can't wait to see the adults.

 

[ralf]

Interesting habitat and larvae shots of a rarely seen species. Thanks for sharing.

 

[cameron]

Awesome! Striped Newts are amazing creatures. Aren't they a threatened species? You were lucky to find some.

 

[cameron]

Amazing how you found these guys.

 

[jennifer]

Very nice. May I transfer a couple of your photos to Caudata Culture?

 

[pierson]

You are more than welcome to use those photos. Hopefully I'll have some transformed adult photos to post within a month or so.

 

[pierson]

Amazingly, they are only listed as 'rare' in Florida and are afforded no special protection (they are protected in GA). Habitat destruction is by far and away the number one reason for this species decline although they seem to have disappeared from the NW part of their range despite intact habitat. I suspect two major droughts in the past 15 years extirpated several isolated populations.

 

[jonathan]

I'd be interested to know the temperatures of their summer habitat. Can anyone shed some light on that?

 

[pierson]

Summer temperatures in the southeast Coastal Plain average in the mid 90s during the day and mid 70s at night. Because Striped Newts inhabit upland exposed sandy areas, the temperatures are a little more extreme and terrestrial adults spend most of the year underground where there is the most moisture.

If a breeding pond doesn't dry, the temperature is largely dependant on the size of the water body but probably ranges from 70-85 F. I'd imagine that larvae and paedomorphs are pretty resistant to warmer temps.

 

[dane]

really amazing shots pierson

 

[pierson]

I neglected to post this shot...