CFB "Efts"?

Do juvenile Chinese firebellies go through a terrestrial stage? I get the feeling they do, although some references give the impression they mature directly into an aquatic phase. The Caudate Central species info shows terrestrial Japanese firebellies with sporty-looking dorsal stripes, but the sheet for C. orientalis doesn't say whether they do the same. I have some CFB larvae and want to know what to expect when they become "teenagers."

Also, does "eft" refer to any terrestrial juvenile newt, or just Notophthalmus?

Hi Gerard,

Yes, the efts go through a terrestrial stage. Some keepers have told me they manage to keep the new metamoprhs aquatic by keeping them in a few mm of water, but I've never had any luck trying that.

It's not rare for C. orientalis to have red markings on the back, but not nearly as coomon or as extensive as C. pyrrhogaster. I would guess that 1-3% of adults have some red somwhere on their body other than the belly/underside. The most common markings I've seen are red dots on the upper surface of the forelegs, red dots or dashes along the ribs, and a faint reddish-brown dorsal stripe.

A few juveniles I have raised have been pretty amazing looking with all 3 red markings mentioned above, but only the foreleg dots remained as they grew older.

Eft is more of a cultural term than anything, you'll see it used here often for any young, terrestrial newt.

Thanks for the information, Nate. What happened when you tried to keep them aquatic, but had no luck? Did they die, or go berserk trying to climb the walls of the tank, or what?

A combination of everything you mentioned. A couple drowned, a few developed oral/nasal infections (some of which died from them), and generally none of them were happy campers. A few did eat, but I did not want to push it.

How old are the larvae? I have some and they are about 2 months old, I just wondered what size yours are and do you know how long it takes for them to become terrestrial (or anyone reading this), as in lose their gills. Mine seem to be "swimming" a lot so I'm going to lower the water level so they can get out of the water easier.

I think it's roughly 3 months from hatching to morphing. One very important thing: get a secure tight-fitting lid. They can climb straight up the glass (and around the lip of the tank and through tiny cracks) even BEFORE they finish morphing.

(Message edited by jennewt on May 27, 2003)

Even before finishing morphing?! Interesting to hear you say that Jen, because that must be what happened with my prized E.andersoni larvae last year. I usually wait until I see the frilly gills disappear and the head shape change before putting the lid on, and I was watching that one (may it rest in peace! ) pretty closely before the "accident"

(Message edited by TJ on May 29, 2003)

(Message edited by TJ on May 29, 2003)