Larva ID

JessKB

JessKB

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Jess
Hi everyone, I've found a larva in a small basically fishless pond near my home. It took me a few trips out there, but I finally found this little guy. I've had it for about two weeks now, and he's been happily munching down blackworms. There is a population of Ambystoma Laterale surrounding the pond, so I assume that's what it is. It also looks a lot like pictures I've found. I just want to make sure.

I included a picture of the site where I found the larvae. It's a large pond/swamp/forest area surrounded by apartment complexes and industrial buildings. There are fish in there, but they're just schools of tiny tiny minnows, I haven't seen any larger fish.

any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

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Definitely an Ambystomatid. Given the local fauna, I would expect it's laterale. It's definitely not texanum or opacum.
 
Thanks Kasie, that's what I figured too. How big do these usually get before they morph, and at what time in the wild do they tend to emerge from the water?
 
Laterale are probably between 2 and 3 inches, total length. If you keep them cool and well fed, they morph out bigger. I don't think I've ever heard of laterale overwintering as larvae (as tigrinum sometimes do), but it wouldn't shock me.

In the wild, they start to emerge when the ponds start to dry. This could be as early as July or as late as September. But all will emerge from a given pond at the same time. I think one of the biggest triggers is dissolved oxygen: as a pond becomes warmer and shallower, the dissolved oxygen drops, triggering metamorphosis.
 
Thanks Kasie. I'll keep him cool and well fed.
 
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