Lamb
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Hello all,
One of the techs that I work with in the field caught a larval Pseudotriton yesterday, and I would like some help identifying it. I've had experience with P. ruber vioscai larvae and adults in my region (south MS), but not with P. montanus flavissimus. I've only seen old, color depleted larval specimens of P. montanus in museum collections, as well as whatever trustworthy photos I can find online.
The first two photos I've attached are of the larva in question (let's call it Ari, after the tech that caught it - she was really excited about the find). The third is a composite of dorsal shots of 4 larval P. ruber vioscai (A-D), and Ari (E). As well as head shots of two larval P. ruber vioscai (F,G), and then Ari (H). All of these larvae are from south MS. The second head shot (G) is of a P. ruber vioscai collected from a seep, and the larva has longer gills than other larvae of this species that I have caught in streams (F).
The most notable differences I see between Ari and the P. ruber vioscai larva that I have worked with are habitat, gill length, and iris color. The larva was caught in a small bottomland stream that has a tendency to braid with heavy rains. One side of the stream is bordered by a small hill, but otherwise, the landscape is relatively flat and the stream has a low gradient. Ari's gills are the longest that I've ever seen on a Pseudotriton, and I've seen gill length used to distinguish between larvae within this genus (even though gill length within a species and for an individual will vary with water quality). Lastly, the iris color of similarly sized P. ruber vioscai is golden, and the iris is bisected by a dark, horizontal stripe. Ari's irises look like they are a plain brown.
If Ari turns out to be a P. montanus flavissimus, then this is an exciting find. But, from the museum and HerpNet records that I've seen, it's been a good while since montanus has been seen in MS, which is why I'm seeking your opinions and why I'm hesitant to get excited just yet. So, who votes for which species, and why? And thanks for the help!
One of the techs that I work with in the field caught a larval Pseudotriton yesterday, and I would like some help identifying it. I've had experience with P. ruber vioscai larvae and adults in my region (south MS), but not with P. montanus flavissimus. I've only seen old, color depleted larval specimens of P. montanus in museum collections, as well as whatever trustworthy photos I can find online.
The first two photos I've attached are of the larva in question (let's call it Ari, after the tech that caught it - she was really excited about the find). The third is a composite of dorsal shots of 4 larval P. ruber vioscai (A-D), and Ari (E). As well as head shots of two larval P. ruber vioscai (F,G), and then Ari (H). All of these larvae are from south MS. The second head shot (G) is of a P. ruber vioscai collected from a seep, and the larva has longer gills than other larvae of this species that I have caught in streams (F).
The most notable differences I see between Ari and the P. ruber vioscai larva that I have worked with are habitat, gill length, and iris color. The larva was caught in a small bottomland stream that has a tendency to braid with heavy rains. One side of the stream is bordered by a small hill, but otherwise, the landscape is relatively flat and the stream has a low gradient. Ari's gills are the longest that I've ever seen on a Pseudotriton, and I've seen gill length used to distinguish between larvae within this genus (even though gill length within a species and for an individual will vary with water quality). Lastly, the iris color of similarly sized P. ruber vioscai is golden, and the iris is bisected by a dark, horizontal stripe. Ari's irises look like they are a plain brown.
If Ari turns out to be a P. montanus flavissimus, then this is an exciting find. But, from the museum and HerpNet records that I've seen, it's been a good while since montanus has been seen in MS, which is why I'm seeking your opinions and why I'm hesitant to get excited just yet. So, who votes for which species, and why? And thanks for the help!