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Siren i. intermedia captive breeding

Jennewt

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I have some great news! Jean Raffaelli asked me to post these photos, as he is having difficulty accessing his forum profile at the moment. Here is the message from Jean:
I wanted to post these 2 photos of reproduction of Siren i. intermedia, I think for the 1st time in captivity. The pair was already in the tank for 3 years. The eggs have been discovered last week under a stone.

 

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i_love_necturus

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Whoa!

Wow thats amazing! I hope that the larvae make it! Was the fertilization internal or external, most people think external but I don't think it was proven with this species. Whoa!
 

mantighoul

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I congratulation them for accomplishing this. Hopefully the larvae survive. Cannot wait to hear more from this.
 

jean

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Siren intermedia reproduction

Thank you all. I think the reproduction is external, as many eggs are not fertilized (same problem sometimes with Hynobiids). There were about 60 eggs laid in a single piece of java moss, deeply under a stone. There might be more eggs, but I prefer not to look there for the moment. The animals are a pair who lived in the tank for 3 years. The tank has some slow flowing water and is 1,80 m by 1 m. Water level is 0,40 m. Temperature is from 6 to 18°C. I saw one of the animals crawling vigorously under the stone, maybe to fertilize eggs, maybe for mating, or just to oxygenate eggs. It is difficult to say. Key criterias seem to be low temperatures, at least for a period, huge quantity of clean water, and big stones or logs deep in the water. This species is the true intermedia from Eastern coastal plain, very different from the nettingi form from more central areas and Gulf of Mexico (no spots, no clear yellowish band along the head, small size, see the photo in my book).
 

amphibiman

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I am overjoyed with this success...

I will ask Jesus to help you and the Sirens. You are doing the work of the Lord so I know He will have to help! This is very inspiring. I think I am going to give it a shot. Maybe I will be able to repopulate some areas. I wish you and the Sirens peace.
 

fishkeeper

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It seems we've been getting a lot of impressive breeding successes lately!
 

monomike

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Just congrats like everyone else!

Well done! I look forward to hearing more!
 

jean

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News from S. intermedia reproduction

Hello all
From the about 60 eggs of S. i. intermedia laid, only a dozen was correctly fertilized and has developed well. From those 10, there are now only 4 larvae left, all in good condition. Each of them has been isolated. So it seems things are not so easy with this genus. Maybe, another right choice would have been to leave the eggs under the stone with the female so it can oxygenate them as I saw a caudal movement twice under the stone. But there are some informations about Siren eating their eggs. Anyway, this is a first step and I hope the pair, still young, will reproduce in the future. And that the 4 larvae will become good adults.
 

Jake

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Congratulations! This is a major accomplishment. I wonder if it is the first time they have been bred in captivity, or the first time someone has noticed with how secretive this species is maybe it has happened before, and all of the subsequent offspring just didn't make it.

How long of a cooling period did you give them?

Did you let them get the natural light from a window or do you have an artificial source?
 

jean

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Thank you all.
Cooling period was long enough (about 4 months at about 7-8°C), and they bred when it was warmer (at 12°C). It is now 16°C in the water. Artificial light.
 

Jennewt

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Jean Raffaelli sent me an additional photo and asked me to post it here.

"This is a young Siren i. intermedia, following their hatching some weeks ago. Size is about 7 cm. See the red spot on the snout and the red gills. This colour disappears when subadults. Photo is by Arnaud Jamin."

 

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i_love_necturus

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Very interesting picture. I've only seen one other picture of a younger siren like this one, very nice. I'm glad to hear they are doing well.
 

fishkeeper

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Did he observe any biting behavior at all as other members have seen?
 

John

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Re: awesome

Any more news about these, Jean?
 
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