D. tenebrosus

[simon]

Does anyone keep tenebrosus? And does anyone captive breed any Dicamptodon?
Thanks

 

[warren]

I currently have three larval tenebrosus. They are in the 3" range so it will be a long time before they are breeding. I am feeding them predominantly mayfly larvae as well as other small invertebrates that I get from a pond nearby. At first I thought they were copei due to the small gill structures, but they don't have the yellow mottling that is generally characteristic of copei. Water is kept at about 54-56 degrees as I don't have a chiller to keep it any colder than that. I have also put in frozen tubifex and though I haven't observed them eating it, it is always gone by the next day. I am thinking of trying to set up a tank for breeding mayflies for the winter months. When they get larger, I guess that I will switch to stonefly larvae.

 

[joseph]

Warren: That'd be awesome if you could breed mayflies but it might not be worth the money(pond type mayflies might be easier). Also wonder if you could get adults to breed in the confines of captivity.

I'd imagine one insect that might not be that hard would be caddisfly larvae. They'd feed on elodea etc. which would be easy enough to supply.

 

[simon]

Where did you collect yours? I guess then if I want Dicamptodon I'll have to collect some myself, but that won't be anytime in the near future. The only time I've ever seen any is when I found some copei in a freezing creek on the Olympic Peninsula. When the tenebrosus metamorphose though, you won't necessarily have to keep the semi-aquatic, right?
Thanks

 

[warren]

I collected mine in the Cascades region. (You can PM me if you want more exact details.) There was a stream that I passed on a hike. I noticed some tailed frog larvae in a pool where the stream ended. This was in early July when the snowmelt was running out. I wondered if the tadpoles would be okay and then hiked on. When I came back, the pool had actually disappeared- in about 30 minutes! Anyway, I went ahead and searched the area where the pool had been and recovered 8 tadpoles and three Dicamptodon. No, once they metamorphose, they will be fine in a moist environment, but that is probably a couple of years at least since they are only currently about 3". Sorry that I didn't respond earlier, but I just got back from camping in the Olympic National Forest.

 

[simon]

Lucky camper! When I was in the Cascades I only found 2 sallies and some Alligator lizards. What do mean, PM? I'd like to know more exact details.
Thanks

 

[warren]

If you click on the name of the prson, there is an option to PM or private message. The PMs on caudata seem to be tied into e-mail. If you get a weird respons, it is just my spam filter making sure that you are a real person. All you have to do is respond to that and it will send your original message on. (That might not happen, but just in case...) Speaking of my camping expedition, has anyone ever heard of a black phase, Olympic Torrent salamander, Rhyacotriton olympicus? That is the only thing that I can figure it was. Unfortunately, I was leaving the area and had made one last attempt at seeing some different species so had left my camera behind. The specimen was only around an inch long anyway. Any help appreciated.

 

[simon]

Oh, Private Message! (AKA email).

 

[warren]

Here are a couple of pics of a larger tenebrosus specimen. First, in situ:

He is in almost the exact center, but a little hard to see since I didn't use a polarizing filter.
Now here is a pic of him in hand to give a little better idea of his size:

 

[simon]

LuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLuckyLucky!!!!!! Nice pics Warren. Some day I will find a terrestrial Dicamptodon, and hopefully some like those too.

 

[warren]

Thanks, Simon. From what I have read, finding the terrestrials is more luck than anything else. I am really itching to find a Van Dyke's. I'll be camping in the Willapa Hills this coming weekend, so... Of course, being summer and the drought doesn't make for the best conditions for finding caudates. I guess that I will have to brave cold, rainy weather for best results! lol