Pelobates fuscus larvae

J

juraj

Guest
I`ve always been fascinated by these funny super tadpoles
biggrin.gif

37909.jpg

37910.jpg

37911.jpg

37912.jpg
 
wow huge tadpoles! they almost look like a corydoras at a first glance!
 
Did you breed these yourself? what kind of set-up did you use to achieve breeding?
 
Hey Juraj,

Isn't this the species who's tadpoles become giants, yet when they morph they are pretty small in comparison?
 
no thats the paradoxical frog from south america (pseudidae) the famous one is pseudis paradoxa
 
I have a pair of Pseudis at home, and they ceratinly look like pseudis tadpoles...

did you take the pics or where are they from? I have also seen them in the wild in Trinidad

cheers
colin
 
Colin- the original picture is a P. fuscus tadpole- these are the largest native tadpoles in Europe.

How big were the Pseudis tadpoles you saw in the wild? I understand they can get up to 25cm long.

From what I've read, the only other species that have tadpoles anywhere near this big are American Bullfrogs at about 15cm.

I also understand that Pseudis metamorphosis isn't as 'paradoxical' as has been suggested in the past- they don't shrink more than any other frog species, they just do most of their growing in the tadpole stage.
 
Hi Caleb,

The largest Pseudis tadpoles i have seen were from Pseudis paradoxus caibensis in Trinidad. They were probably about 20 - 22cm long as tadpoles.

During metamorphosis there really isn't any shrinking at all.

I have kept frogs after metamorphosis for over two years and can say that they really didn't grow much if any bigger than they were at metamorphosis. Fatter maybe?

On another occasion, A wild caught tadpole turned into a frog in captivity and even though it still had a bit of its tail, it was trying to amplex a female!

The two Pseudis I have now were from BHS in '03 and are from Paraguay. The adults seem to be about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the Pseudis from Trinidad. I had asumed that their tadpoles didn't grow as big as the Trini ones... maybe they did shrink???

I am hoping to get more of the Trini beasts in the future...

Largest catesbiana tadpoles I have had were lucky if they were 10cm but the resulting froglets are quite small compared with Pseudis metamorphs

cheers
colin
 
Colin,

interesting to hear about your Pseudis. Have you read this:

Emerson, SB (1988): The giant tadpole of Pseudis paradoxa. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 34: 93-104.

(PM me if you want a copy).
 
pics for you, some pics of a trini swamp where pseudis live and my paraguayan specimens
38580.jpg



38581.jpg



38582.jpg
 
no, not yet anyway ;)
 
no, but they are currently being treated to a dry season. They have only 1 - 2" of water with hot temperatures and not a huge amount of food.

In a few weeks, I'll hit a rain schedule, cool the water, increase the depth and cross my fingers
 
would they grow into frogs i seen them at petland before

(Message approved by ed)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top