Easiest to breed?

[Cloppy]

What would you say are some species that are easier to breed?

 

[Sith the turtle]

I'd have to say, most common pet-trade species of newt, (Eastern newt, "Fire-belly newts", Triturus, ect) are fairly easy to breed in the right conditions. Of course Ambystoma species, Necturus, ect are very uncommonly bred due to the conditions they need to breed in hard to supply in captivity. If you want, here's a few snippets from Caudata Culture (CC) about breeding a few species common in captivity:

Cynops cyanurus:

Captive breeding of Cynops cyanurus is easy. Like most newts, they respond appropriately when provided a cycle of winter/summer temperatures. Being good eaters, it requires little effort to keep them in plump condition for breeding.

Courtship is similar to that observed in other Cynops, with the male actively fanning his tail to attract the female. The male deposits a spermatophore on the tank bottom, and then lures the female to walk across and pick up the sperm packet with her cloaca.

It is common to find fertile eggs in a tank where no courtship has been observed and where the males do not even appear to be in breeding dress. It is likely that the males are able to mate even when they don't appear to be in season.

A significant fraction of the eggs may be infertile. Daode and Youhui reported the hatching rate of wild C. cyanurus eggs at only 36%. However, the newts seem to compensate for any infertility by producing large numbers of eggs. A well-fed female can produce over 100 eggs in a season. Their breeding season may extend from early spring all the way through the summer months, and even into the fall.

Cynops orientalis:

This species seems to be uncommonly bred in captivity when one considers that it is probably the most commonly kept species of newt. This is probably because many people keep them at unnaturally high temperatures.

Courtship behaviour consists of the males actively following females, tail fanning, and sometimes biting. Eggs are laid singly on aquatic vegetation and when possible, the females will fold the leaves of aquatic plants over the egg to conceal it in a manner similar to Triturus newts. In my own experiences, true hibernation is not necessary to induce breeding though cooler temperatures in winter (5-15°C/40-60°F) undoubtedly help to promote courtship activity.

Natural observations of these newts in the Changsha region of China show these newts breed from March to July while water temperatures range from 15-23°C (59-73°F). The females were found to lay 10-236 eggs in a single season, with an average of 96 eggs per female and an average rate of 2.8 eggs produced per day. The average hatching rate was about 74%.

The eggs, larvae, and metamorphs of C. orientalis are easily cared for using the methods found elsewhere on this site. The terrestrial juveniles can take 1-3 years to reach sexual maturity. Some keepers prefer to keep the metamoprhs semiaquatic in tanks of very shallow water (1-2 cm; 1 inch) with lots of aquatic plants such as java moss and Elodea as this tends to speed up growth rates.

Notophthalmus viridescens:

Eastern newt courtship involves the male grasping a female in a dorsal amplexus with his wide hindlimbs. This can last for several hours. During this time, the male will rub the snout of the female with his chin and fan his tail to waft pheremones towards the female's nostrils. This behavior intensifies until finally he will release her and position himself in front of her, undulating his body. If she is receptive, she will press her snout against his tail or body and this will signal him to deposit a spermatophore, which he guides her to pick up with his body. If she is not receptive, she will take this opportunity to escape the male's advances!

Amplexus often causes worry for new owners who may be unfamiliar with it. Often it appears that the female is being crushed or suffocated/drowned by the male's hindlimbs. However, there is no need to worry as the female will surface for air if she needs to with the male still on her back. Males will also accidentally amplex other males in their enthusiasm, and this can result in some irritated wrestling matches. Females can be stressed by constant amplexus. If a specific female is seen in amplexus frequently, or if she is known to be in a weakened condition, she should be removed from the male(s).

Adults breed in late-winter through spring and 200-400 eggs are laid singly on aquatic vegetation. True hibernation is not required as adults from the northernmost range are active throughout winter, but if at all possible, winter water temperatures should be reduced by 10F degrees or more to help promote courtship activity.

Larvae are easily cared for using the methods found in: Raising Newts from Eggs. Upon metamorphosis, the efts usually remain terrestrial for 2-3 years before eventually returning to the water as adults, though some populations may take as long as 7 years. In captivity, this time is often reduced by plentiful food. Some populations may skip the eft stage as well, so be prepared for that possibility by allowing access to water immediately after metamorphosis.

 

[Otterwoman]

I think the easiest to breed is Axolotls, though I never kept any myself! Notos might be easy to breed (I don't really agree) but almost impossible to raise.

 

[sde]

Axolotls and ribbed newts probably top the list. All you need to breed them is a male and female and a half decent setup. They are insanely easy to breed. I've even heard of people putting dividers into their axolotl tanks to separate the sexes, yet they still manage to find a way. For some people its harder to keep them from breeding than it is getting to breed.

There are many other species that aren't too hard to breed, like T. dobrogicus and C. orientalis, but axolotls and ribbed newts take the cake.