Axolotl eggs survival rate.

[e80]

I have some Axolotl eggs and was just wondering at what point would they most likely be 100% expected to survive? How many weeks/months.

 

[AxoPhibian]

what do you mean?

How long untill you can confirm that they will develop right and hatch?

 

[AxoPhibian]

This photographs illustrate the developmental stages from an Axolotl egg to a fully developed Axolotl larva.
In every part between the single lines you can see one or more pictures of one single developmental stage - partly from different eggs and from different perspectives.
The description of the stages is mostly taken from Bordzilovskaya, Dettlaff, Duhon, Malacinski, "Developmental-Stage Series of Axolotl Embryos". In: Armstrong, J.B. & Malacinski, G.M.: Developmental Biology of the Axolotl, Oxford University Press (1989).
If you find any mistakes or have any comments (sorry...I'm no biologist, just a hobby-amphibiologist - and no native english-speaker) every E-mail to daniel [at] ambystoma-board.de will be really appreciated!

Stage 1: Freshly laid egg in jellycoat.
The egg shown here is laid by a leucistic female so there is some kind of seperation between a white and a darker colored part (albinos eggs are completely white in the beginning, eggs from wild females mostly dark).

Stage 2: First appearence of the first cleavage furrow and the animal pole; timing begins.

Stage 3: Four - cell stadium (after about 2 1/2 hours).​

Stage 4: Eight - cell stadium (about 4 hours after egg deposition).

Stage 5-6: 16 cells (until 5 1/2 hours after egg deposition).

Stage 6: 32 cells (between 6 1/2 and 7 hours after first cleavage).

Stage 7: 64 cells (about 8 to 9 Stunden after egg deposition).

Stage 8: Early blastula (fall of mitotic index in animal blastomeres; about 16 hours after beginning of timing).

Stage 9: Late (epithelial) blastula; surface is smooth (after 21 hours).

Stage 10: Early gastrula I: First signs of dorsal blastopore lip visible; beginning to form a semicircle (about 26 hours from first cleavage).

Stage 11: Middle gastrula II: Blastopore covers three quadrants. Lateral lips are formed; ventral lip is marked only by pigment accumulation. Yolk plug reaches its maximum diameter (ca. 38 hours after first cleavage).

​

Stage 11 1/2. (about 40-42 hours).

Stage 12: Late gastrula II: Blastopore has an oval or circular shape (about 47 hours after first cleavage).

Stage 14: Early neurula II: Neural plate is broad. Neural folds are outlined and begin to rise above the surface in the head region. Embryo is slightly elongated (about 58 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 15-16: Early neurula III and middle neurula: Neural plate is shield-shaped and becomes sunken; neural folds are raised and bound all regions of the neural plate (about 59 - 63 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 17: Late Neurula I: Neural folds are higher; especially in the head region. Further narrowing and deepening of the neural plate occur both in the head and in the spinal regions. Hyomandibular furrow limiting the mandibular arch is slightly outlined. The segmentation of the mesodermal material begins. There are two pairs of somites (64 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 18: Late neurula II: Neural plate is deeply sunken. Neural folds are closing and are especially high in the head region where three slight bulges corresponding to fore-, mid- and hindbrain vesicles are outlined. The neural folds of the spinal region are almost in contact. Hyomandibular furrow is more marked. There are two pairs of somites (about 66 hours after deposition of eggs).​

Stage 19: Late neurula III: Neural folds are in contact throughout, but are not yet fused. Brain curvature is quite distinct in profile; fore-, mid- and hindbrain vesicles are also distinct. The swelling of optic vesicles is outlined (barely visible in these pictures because of unfortunate perspective). Hymandibular furrows are deeper. There are three pairs of somites (about 69 hours after first cleavage).

Stage 20: Late Neurula IV: Späte Neurulation IV: Neural folds are fused in spinal region (or are starting this process in these pictures); in brain region, they are only in contact. Optical vesicles are destinct and becoming larger. Grooves in ectoderm appear at the level of the hindbrain. A very slight swelling marks the future gill region. Mandibular arch becomes prominent and four pairs of somites are present (about 70 after deposition of eggs).​

Stage 22-23: Neural folds are completely fused. The gill region and the pronephros are distinct; the tailbud is slightly outlined. Five to six pairs of somites are present. Primordium of the ear is outlined as a shallow depression in the ectoderm in the region above the future hyoid arch. The hyobranchial furrow appears, outlining the boundary between the hyoid arch and the first branchial art (about 73-74 hours after first cleavage).

Stage 24: Ear pit is outlined and becomes more distinct. The hyobranchial furrow lengthens ventrally. The prophenic swelling is clearly outlined, and both the pronephros itself and the beginning of the pronephric duct are clearly visible Eight or nine pairs of somites are visible (about 80 hours after first cleavage).​

Up to stage 29: Since first cleavage, up to 97 hours have passed (sorry, I missed some hours here... ;-) ). Ear pit becomes quite distinct. The gill region is clearly outlined. The pronephric duct is clearly visible along six somites at least. The primordium of the olfactory organ appears as a tubercle on the anterior part of the head; the tailbud is gradually enlarging in all stages. Up to 16 pairs of somites are present.

Stage 30-31: The body of the embryo continues to straighten; the tailbud enlarges. Dorsal finfold begins at somite 14-12. A groove appears in the region of the lens primordium (visual system - i.e. eyes) The third branchial furrow becomes apparent in the dorsal part of the gill region (about 110 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 32-34: The dorsal fin develops until it begins at somite 10 (until about 115 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 35: From this stage on, the body axis from the hindbrain to the tail base are quite straight. Three external gills show ad nodules on the surface of the gill swelling. The lateral line reaches to the sixth somite. The dorsal fin begins at the fifth somite. The first chromatophores appear; heart pulsation begins. It's difficult the somites from now on. Since first cleavage about 122 hours have passed.

Stage 36-37: Gills elongate and push venventroposteriorly. No limb buds are yet visible (about 177 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 38: Filament sprouts appear as two nodules on each gill. The primordium of the operculum is visible as a fold upon the hyoid arch. Neither of the two rudiments of the perculum reaches the midline. The limb buds are slightly outlined.​

Stage 39: The first gills have two pairs of filament sprouts; the second and third have three pairs each. The gills cover the limb buds. Both rudiments of the operculum approach the midline. The angle of the mouth begins to show. Since egg deposition and first cleavage 220 hours have passed. .​

...later Stage 39​

Stage 40: The gills are longer and the number of filaments increases (four pairs in the first gills, six or seven pairs on the second or third gills). The rudiments of the operculum join at the middline. The angles of the mouth are marked more distinctly and limb buds protrude slightly. Since first cleavage 240 hours have passed..​

​

Stage 41: The gills contunie to elongate, the number of filaments increases and they become longer. The mouth is distinctly outlined. The second lateral line runs along the flank toward the limb bud and bypasses it on the ventral side. Hatching begins (about 265 hours after deposition of eggs).​

Stage 42: The gills extend far beyond the forelimb buds. The mouth is completely outlined, but is not broken through (about 296 hours after first cleavage).​

Stage 43: With galvanic and convulsive movements the larva breaks free of the jelly coat. The mouth either is already opened or will open within the next 24 - 72 hours.​

​

And here are the results of the development:
Leucistic larva:

Golden albino:

Wild colored larva:

 

[e80]

what do you mean?

How long untill you can confirm that they will develop right and hatch?

Yeah that's what I mean.

 

[e80]

Thanks!

 

[memojo1979]

AMAZING photos - I loved looking at them
Thank you for finding them + posting them here AxoPhibian!

 

[AxoPhibian]

AMAZING photos - I loved looking at them
Thank you for finding them + posting them here AxoPhibian!

No problem.

 

[Martin21114]

Is it f@#$ed up i want a cigarette after that? Man those pics were great...

 

[axolotl lvr]

Did u recieve a definate answer on this?? I just recieved my eggs today and they should be hatching either today or probably tomorrow they where hatched on the 17th... they look just like little baby axies are an super adorable!!

 

[melfly]

You can see with the naked eye at around stage 17 onwards that they are developing.

You still wont know if they'll make it past larvae stage until they get there.

Most 1st spawns have a very high mortality rate.
Some Axolotls are just genetically weak.

Once they have legs they usually are out of the delicate zone.

Good luck

Mel

 

[axolotl lvr]

Thanks Mel I appreciate your response! Thanks for the Good luck

 

[John]

Most 1st spawns have a very high mortality rate.

This is due mainly to nutrient allotment to each egg by the mother and is generally because the mother is still growing and using a relatively high level of her nutrient intake for that purpose.

 

[melfly]

Thanks for that John I did wonder why

Mel

 

[e80]

All mine seem ok, but they haven't got their legs yet.

 

[2gsom]

Great photos thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[teapot]

brilliant photos! i am defiantly soon going to have to give this a go!! :happy: