Tail filament in C.e.popei

[TJ]

Thought I'd pursue the tail filament topic as a separate thread from Aaron's on differences between C.e.e and C.e.p.

I've only been able to spot a single male out of my 30+ adult C.e.popei with a filament at the end of its tail as seen in some, if not all, Cynops pyrrhogaster subspecies/races, while I have several C.e.ensicauda males with both tail filaments AND sheens (though no sheens at all among the C.e.p males).

Does anybody keeping popei notice any with tail filaments? If not, then I'm wondering what's up here with this male and whether the presence or absence of a filament in popei has any particular significance...

By the way, the pic I posted before didn't show to which newt the "filamented" tail was attached to, so these are to show that the newt in question with the questionable tail is unquestionably popei

 

[leonardo]

How can you tell that he is a sure male?
Leo

 

[TJ]

Hi Leo. I'm still too much of a novice to be able to tell anything for sure, but from what I know only males develop tail filaments. Plus, this newt's cloaca shape seemed to me to indicate it was a male. Plus, if my memory serves me right, I spotted the filament while it was courting a female.

 

[nate]

Hi Tim, on the top closeup, that looks much more like a damaged tail in the process of regrowth than an actual tail filament. Give it some time and see what happens

 

[paul_b]

Hy together,

C.e.popei normaly don't have a tail filament. Only one of my males has a hint of filament. But he already had it when he was juvenil.

Paul

 

[leonardo]

could this be a kind of tail filament?
the "owner" of this tail is my adult male (I think it'a a male because he has short tail and large cloaca)

I post also a pic of an adult female's tail

bye
Leo