Xanthic E. cirrigera larva?

L

Lamb

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
222
Reaction score
12
Points
0
Age
35
Location
USA
Country
United States
Hello all!

I caught this little guy/gal earlier this morning in one of my study streams. It is an Eurycea cirrigera (southern two-lined salamander), and I'm wondering if there is a general term for this unusual color morph? The specimen, which is being raised in the lab, has xanthophores and iridiophores on its body, but no melanophores, except for those in the stripe within its irises. Ideas? I looked at the Axolotl page, and by the definitions there it might be a xanthic albino? But the melanin in its iris makes me doubt that.
 

Attachments

  • EDITED Maybe Xanthic 26_04 WATERMARK.jpg
    EDITED Maybe Xanthic 26_04 WATERMARK.jpg
    45.7 KB · Views: 555
That is an odd looking thing...

Albinos have the pink eyes though. Maybe a xanthic/ leucistic mix? Or maybe the colors will come in with age.

Still an awesome find!
 
But do albino larva this small (the black tick marks represent centimeters) have obviously pink eyes? Searching for albinos, leucistics, and xanthics on Caudata.org results in a lot of Axolotl posts.

I'm raising it in the lab, so I'll be able to monitor how its color changes through time.

Anyone have tips on photographing very pale larvae?
 
Very cool find. Cheers.

Aneides
 
Leucistic animals have normal melanin, but a mutation that prevents the melanin from migrating, so only the eyes have pigment. That seems to fit this one perhaps; do normal animals of this species have solid black eyes, or do they have pigment in the same parts of the eye that this one does? Aside from the missing melanin, the remaining pigment may be normal for this species (not necessarily xanthic).

For photography, it helps to have a small clear container (I use display cubes from an office product store) and hold it against a medium-color background (not black or white).
 
E. cirrigera do have a black stripe through the eye like this one, but this individuals seems weak.

Lamb, does your lab have a dissecting microscope? That would allow for some really good shots, especially if it is hooked up digitally.
 
jaster said:
E. cirrigera do have a black stripe through the eye like this one, but this individuals seems weak.

Lamb, does your lab have a dissecting microscope? That would allow for some really good shots, especially if it is hooked up digitally.
Click to expand...

Yup, we just got a good dissecting scope with a camera. But the camera and the computer aren't communicating well (the computer's live feed wont focus). I'm working on fixing that. Once I do, I'll get some good photos.

The arrangement of the yellow/orange is similar to how the yellow/gold color is distributed in normal larvae. Leucistic individuals have black pupils but this guy doesn't. I thought that all that "xanthic" meant was that the individuals were capable of producing yellow pigments, but not others.
 
I managed to get the camera on the scope to focus. I think it was just a user error ;)

Here are a few photos. They look very yellow on the computer I'm currently using, but I didn't play with the settings (no editing except to shrink them). The individual is yellowish in life, though. You can clearly see the eyes here, and I've included a shot of the pelvic region so you can see the mottling. After looking at these up close and on a bigger monitor, I realized that the lighter areas (i.e., around the jaw line, and mottling on the side of the tail) are about where I would expect to see melanin in a normally pigmented individual.
 

Attachments

  • Odd E.cirr head 2.jpg
    Odd E.cirr head 2.jpg
    156.2 KB · Views: 1,006
  • Odd E.cirr head.jpg
    Odd E.cirr head.jpg
    159.8 KB · Views: 777
  • Odd E.cirr body.jpg
    Odd E.cirr body.jpg
    165.9 KB · Views: 435
Last edited:
Thanks for posting your find and showing us this really interesting individual. Would it be possible to post a photo of a normal coloured youngster next to this one? I'm guessing some kind of albino but beyond that I'm not sure.


Regards Neil
 
Here is a figure that depicts the range of color patterns you see in normal type individuals of E. cirrigera, along with a photo of the oddball.
 

Attachments

  • Normal and xanthic E. cirrigera larvae (654x1024).jpg
    Normal and xanthic E. cirrigera larvae (654x1024).jpg
    201.2 KB · Views: 418
It seems to me like a form of severe hypomelanism. The iridophores are clearly present, as are the xanthophores, but the only melanin seems to be in the eyes. If it were leucistic i would have expected a more normal eye coloration, but it´s clearly lacking in pigmentation.
 
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