Young m.a.a. egg-laying...

[brucedickinson]

Hi, my female apaunus just starting laying eggs today. However, I haven't seen either of my males exhibit breeding behavior. Is that normal? These newts are young -- I'm not sure exactly how old they are, but I know they morphed this past July.

 

[Jennewt]

Mesotriton are often precocious, coming into breeding condition at only a year old, so I would say this is not abnormal. Do either of the males have a crest?

 

[brucedickinson]

No, no crest.

 

[benw]

hi
this is a pic os my male apuanus, does this help with a comparison to a male in breeding condition, as they dont have what i would call a proper crest

This male has mated with several females!!!

Ben

 

[brucedickinson]

Wow, Ben, what a gorgeous guy. My little guy doesn't have a crest like that at all. Maybe next year...

 

[Otterwoman]

this is a pic of my male apuanus,..as they dont have what i would call a proper crest
This male has mated with several females!!!

I'd say that's a male in breeding dress all right.

 

[Jennewt]

Be sure to post an update, Bruce. Even if neither male is in breeding dress, it's still conceivable that they did their job and the eggs are fertile. I'm curious to know.

 

[benw]

he certainly is in breeding dress, and now have lots of young larvae on my hands!!

Another thing there is a great clip on the BBC Life in Cold Blood showing Alpines mating, makes good viewing

 

[brucedickinson]

Now I can definitely see a crest on the male. It wasn't there when the eggs first appeared, but it seems they are laying more. This morning I observed the courtship tail-fanning behavior.

 

[benw]

thats great, Bruce, hope you get a good few fertilised eggs,
keep us updated

Ben

 

[Mark]

Mine bred this season at a year and a half old. The males didn’t even come close to the breeding dress shot above; no crest and only the slightest pronunciation of markings. Like yourself the first breeding sign was the appearance of eggs.

My biggest mistake was assuming they were too young to successfully breed. I think I lost quite a few during my weekly water changes before noticing larvae in my siphon bucket . Still, I’m not complaining – some survived!