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Ambystoma texanum

Slimy2

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I collected a few eggs from my pond in January that I believe to be Ambystoma texanum. The eggs were in small masses(about 50 eggs to a mass). So far I have about 14 little larvae swimming around. Just a few days ago I found what I think are Ambystoma maculatum eggs in the pond with 300 or so eggs in each mass. The larvae have black tails which I know A. maculatum larvae have but I don't think that A. maculatum would breed so early in the year while many of the ponds were still iced over. So I think that these are A. texanum but I'm not entirely sure. Can anyone help me out?

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/slimy_album/?action=view&current=spotted014.jpg

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/slimy_album/?action=view&current=spotted007.jpghttp://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/slimy_album/?action=view&current=spotted014.jpg

and the supposed A. macultaum eggs
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r260/slimy_album/?action=view&current=spotted002.jpg

Sorry about the links but the pictures would not show
 

John

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I just noticed this thread now.

Cameron, don't you live in a large hole in Ambystoma texanum's range? Just looking at Petranka's range map makes me think that northern Arkansas is not A. texanum territory. It's interesting that one of the larvae has saddles, but otherwise looks like A. maculatum (that consistently dark tail is hard to ignore). From all accounts A. texanum lays relatively few eggs in a mass - 50 could be a record.

As for the egg photo, they look a little flimsy and the photo looks like there are several hundred eggs wrapped around that emergent stem, in a long tube. If they are salamander eggs I would put my money on A. maculatum.
 

Slimy2

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I realized that I do live just outside of the recorded A. texanum range ( http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amph...ps&genus=Ambystoma&species=texanum&photos=yes )but I still believed that there is a possibility that a small population may live right around me which gave me the idea that these larvae could possibly be A. texanum. If you think they are A. maculatum though then I'll go with that.

Thanks for your reply
 
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