How hard is it to raise P.caudopunctatus larvae?

[paris]

i just noticed that my caudos - that i have had for about a year now - are showing definite signs of serious flirting. the male is doing alot of tail fanning and working real hard to get the females attention-nose to nose even. they lay on plants right? so far the female will look at him-but not follow him-i have a trio and i am wondering if anyone has raised them before and what i am in for if they are successful....

 

[TJ]

I've had 7 (8?) caudos for maybe a couple of years now and they're very hardy and seem in great condition, but I've observed no tail fanning at all and of course no eggs. At least two of them are males. Craig seems to have bred them. Nate too. Possibly also Ralf. Best of luck!

 

[ralf]

Never had any, but always wanted some. From what I know they deposit their eggs underneath flat rocks. Paris, have a look at this thread as it may contain some useful info for you.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/10941.html

 

[chris]

Jen (I think) raised some caudo lartvae...ask her???
Yes they do lay in crevices in flat rocks. Someone I know used slabs of sandstone, and used a chissel to holw deep grooves in the sides, then piled them in a jumble to prvide a nesting site. Another option is to cut a 'door' in an upturned clay flower pot. The female goes in and lays eggs round the inside rim of the flower pot. This works for Pachytriton too. In my experience males come into breeding condition with decent lighting and feeding regimes, but females require a cooling period (although mine never bred) to get them gravid.
Good luck
Chris

 

[jennifer]

Nope, not me. Never reared any young Paramesos of any kind.

I've had an interesting set of e-mails recently from someone that bought some P. fuzhongensis and they laid eggs. To my surprise, the eggs were laid in a mass on the glass side of the tank! I guess that's what they do when they can't find a rock to get under.

 

[chris]

Jen - sorry - I remember who now
it was Jessica Miller (livingunderworld.com). Fuzhongensis use plants though....
Make sure you have lots of egg-laying opportunities to choose from, as sometimes Paramesotriton will stop laying if they run out of suitable egglaying sites. As they breed in the cool season, make sure the temps don't go too low (say to 12-15C) as low temperatures lower eggyield as the animals don't want to waste resources.
Good luck
Chris

 

[frank]

Hi,

Unfortunately, courtship behaviour does not necessarily mean that you will obtain eggs. During the five years that I kept P. caudopunctatus, I only obtained eggs twice. Raising larvae of P. caudopunctatus is hardly a challenge. Eggs are laid in between stones or underneath rocks (typically white eggs), opposed to eggs of other Paramesotriton species. Raising the larvae can be done in the same way as larvae of Cynops or Triturus. THE challenge with Paramesotriton is raising metamorphosed juveniles: it takes a very long time before maturity and losses are quite high. Actually, I only know of one (Belgian) person who has been reproducing (and rearing) different Paramesotriton species successfully. The larvae of P. caudopunctatus are, by the way, very beautiful...