Triturus pygmaeus

[TJ]

I should have taken this once they started eating, because they all dig in at once and it's really cute. These juvies don't even have to be hand-fed. They just wolf down bloodworm straight from the pile!

In fact, T.pygmaeus is the easiest-to-feed sal I've ever encountered. Having said that, my older C. ensicauda juvies are also a bit like this and don't need to be hand-fed anymore -- they practically come-a-running when I ring the dinner bell

By the way, I bought my 8 juvies as T.pygmaeus, but I was looking the other day at John Clare's pics...

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/89.html?1055806862

...and mine look more like the T.marmoratus he posted pics of. Might it be that they're not T.pygmaeus after all?

 

[mark]

im not really sure what they are because i dont know much about these types yet so you will have to get some 1 else to help you figure out what they are.
there really cute though and at first i thought that was a blob of jam they were eating LOL

great picture

Mark

 

[damian]

Hi Tim
Yep they are definitely T marmoratus
Regards Damian

 

[damian]

Sorry that was supposed to be they are T marmoratus marmoratus and not T marmoratus pygmaeus
Damian

 

[john]

They're two different species - you got it right the first time Damian .

 

[john]

And by the way, should I change the word pygmaeus to marmorats Tim?

 

[wouter]

They sure look like pygmaeus to me...

 

[mark]

now that ive looked at johns pics i would say pygmaeus to.

Mark

 

[john]

I've seen enough of these animals now from many different localities that I will add my 2 cent (€ cent) to this discussion. I'm quite sure that Damian is right - they are Triturus marmoratus, not T. pygmaeus. The body build is a little too lithe to be T. pygmaeus, and there is a lot more black than is typical of T. pygmaeus.

 

[mark]

well john your the expert my choice was just a guess from your pics.

mark

 

[john]

I wouldn't use the term "expert" because I am not one! There are a couple of species I would say I know more about than most people but I am not terribly experienced with the majority of species - I have only bred a handful.

Thanks though!

 

[mark]

John, i looked at you're pictures again and now i sort of think there might be some T. pygmaeus and some T marmoratus just a thought though.

Mark

 

[caleb]

I'm sorry to confuse the issue further...

I'm not sure it's possible to tell from this photo whether they are pygmaeus or marmoratus.

I have a group of pygmaeus from Serge Bogaerts, that originate in the Cadiz region of Spain, near to the original type location. These look very similar to Tim's animals.

The belly colour may help to tell them apart- marmoratus are said to always have a dark belly with fine white spotting, and pygmaeus to have a light belly with large black spots.