Odd coloured C. pyrrhogaster larvae?

Chinadog

Chinadog

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Today I noticed this jet black larvae in the pyrrho tank. I've never seen one anything like it in the past, they've all been the usual dirty brown colour, like the one in the last picture, sometimes lighter, but never darker. I wonder if it's melanoid, although I don't suppose I'll know one way or the other being as though they all turn black soon after morphing. Just thought it was interesting...
 

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They look almost exactly like my H. orientalis larvae lol
 
That's what I thought as soon as I saw it! It certainly isn't though, I don't have any orientalis.
 
It looks very like an H.orientalis larva. My H.orientalis have just started laying again, after only a months break after laying for just a few days short of 11 months! Anyway, it would be interesting to see how it turns out, even if it does just end up looking like the others.

Stuart
 
Mine sometimes look like that. I wonder if they are usually lighter to blend in on your light substrate.
 
Like every other species, they are polymorphic, there is a range of variation among individuals. I expect that little one will grow up to look like one of my females, so dark she looks almost black (unless it turns out to be male, in which case it will just look psychedelic, as they do).
 
evut said:
Mine sometimes look like that. I wonder if they are usually lighter to blend in on your light substrate.
Click to expand...

Maybe so, the larvae from the eggs you sent me were kept on a sand substrate and they were a very similar light brown colour.
 
With orientalis and popei I have observed a slight variance in larvae coloration. They are usually jet black to dark brown. This was the first year I have bred pyrrhogaster and I was surprised by the color variation. Some where almost white and some where brown.

I actually got confused as to what they were and started separating them. I used plants from my marmoratus tank to set up my egg rearing tank and started thinking the lighter individuals were marmoratus larvae. (This despite no observed mating or eggs from them) As the larvae matured it became apparent they were all pyrrhogaster. I will say, I haven't observed any unique or differences in color since they morphed. But I was shocked to see the variability in the larvae.
 
There does seem to be considerable variation in the adults I've raised, but not until they mature, up until that point their skin just looks black. The males especially didn't look like they had the same parents, some ended up almost olive green while others were faintly spotted.
This is the first larvae I've had that could be described as jet black though, even the gills! I'm going to try and catch it next time I see it because I am curious about how it will turn out.
Another strange thing about it is it's size, it is already bigger than most larvae are when they morph, so maybe there's more to it than just colour?
 
I did wonder that. The only way it could be anything else is if it came in on some live food, but it looks exactly like the other pyrrho larvae, just bigger and black.
It better not be anything else, Lisa will beat me to death with he siphon hose if I mention setting another tank up! :)
 
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