C. pyrrhogaster tail sheens

[TJ]

This is a continuation of the following thread:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/31224.html?1128255123

(Message edited by TJ on November 14, 2006)

 

[TJ]

Same newt, other side:

(Message edited by TJ on November 19, 2006)

 

[alex]

Impressive indeed. Very nice coloured newt.

 

[rene]

tim that's a very nice cynops pyrrhogaster I dream about to get some of that male's my males are not so nice

 

[jennifer]

Photographing that mutant male again, eh? It has to be the same individual that posed for this classic:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/images/species/Cynops/C_pyrrho3JOHNSON.jpg

 

[TJ]

Yes, Jen, that's the same mutant. Here's another photo I might have posted before, taken at the same time as the one in that link you gave (last year or a couple of years ago):

Thanks Alex and Rene. Rene, this extent of coloration is indeed uncommon.

(Message edited by TJ on November 19, 2006)

 

[TJ]

Here a couple more old photos I had lying around of colorful C. pyrrhogaster taken while they were together with C. ensicauda popei.

(Message edited by TJ on November 19, 2006)

 

[TJ]

(Message edited by TJ on November 14, 2006)

 

[TJ]

Here's one from today, with disproportionate coloration on its head

 

[TJ]

A southern range C. pyrrhogaster male:

(Message edited by TJ on November 19, 2006)

 

[TJ]

Some C. pyrrhogaster from the southern part of the Kii Peninsula (Wakayama Prefecture):

 

[joseph]

Weird that they have cheek and tail coloring! Since you have locality data did you get these yourself or from a friend? We need some blue guys over on this side of the pond.

Also, their tail are more slender than some other photos posted.

 

[TJ]

Hi Joseph. Are you referring only to the newts in my previous post above yours? If so, then yes, I have exact locality on them and yes, I got them from a friend. Genetic studies on C. pyrrhogaster from this part of the Kii Peninsula (if you look on a map, it's the big peninsula located south of Osaka and southwest of Nagoya) have found that they're quite distinctive. I don't have that data right at hand), but I do know that Sawada, in his 1963 report on local races of C. pyrrhogaster, included them as part of the "intermediate race" of the species that's found in the southern Kinki and Chubu districts of central Honshu Island

I posted photos of them before at:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/30699.html?1110363387

Yes, a fairly long and slender tail is one general characteristic of this group (as it is of the Sasayama race), though that male's tail is especially so. For comparison, here's another from the same southern Kii Peninsula group, which happens to be the only C. pyrrhogaster I have with such Notophthalmus-like spots (as opposed to simply black ones). Notice the tail is not only thicker, but shorter.

(Message edited by TJ on November 20, 2006)

 

[TJ]

Here's another from the same group:

(Message edited by TJ on November 20, 2006)

 

[TJ]

The nuptial coloration isn't always blue, of course. Here's a C. pyrrhogaster (locality not clear to me right now) that can''t seemed to make up its mind <u>what</u> color its tail should be

(Message edited by TJ on November 20, 2006)

 

[jeff]

I am astounded everytime I look at this thread. Great photos and animals as always, Tim.

(Message edited by tmarmoratus on December 01, 2006)