Forced a Morph?

[NewtB]

So after much web-searching about A. Macrodactylum I had learned 2 things (amongst many): 1. These guys morph around July, and 2. typically it's because their ponds are shrinking around that time.

When I first got Something Else (this is the name of my newly morphed salamander) he came from my oldest son's preschool who had accidentally caught him amongst catching tadpoles. Since he had eaten all but 2 of their tadpoles, they gave him to me. However he was a bit bigger than even my largest larvae, so I stuck him in a large glass bowl of pond water until I could get another suitable tank for him. He was in this bowl for several days, then in a creature keeper tank for several days before I put him into a larger tank. By then, however, he had already started metamorphosis. It wasn't until today that it struck me - by placing him in that bowl of water, he thought his pond was shrinking, and therefore forced metamorphosis! Has anyone else ever seen this happen? Any poor results over it?

 

[sde]

Forced metamorphoses happens all the time actually. If you think about it, in the wild this guy would have been forced to morph when his pond dried up ( if it dried up at all ).
Although this species morphs even if their ponds don't dry up.

Anyway, it may have stressed him a little bit, but its fine that he morphed.
And I have never heard of ill effects on force morphing, though there might be, but I don't really have the answer to that. -Seth

 

[Chinadog]

A heatwave last year caused two of my C. pyrrhogaster larvae to morph at a ridiculously small size, while the rest didn't change until three months later. I figured the heat made them think their pond was shrinking so their their best chance of survival was on land. I wonder if it's just a certain percentage of larvae that are able to do this because it happened very quickly, and the rest showed no signs of loosing their gills at all.
Both the early morphs have survived their first year, and even though they are the smallest of my juveniles, they appear much closer to maturity than their bigger, later morphing siblings.

 

[NewtB]

Both the early morphs have survived their first year, and even though they are the smallest of my juveniles, they appear much closer to maturity than their bigger, later morphing siblings.

Ok. So that answers another question I had - that they can morph before they are even a year old. So you're saying that they pretty much don't grow any bigger after they morph then? The size they morph at is the size that they stay?

 

[Chinadog]

Sorry, I was meaning that because most of the larvae morphed much later in the year, they were more than twice the size of the two that morphed early. They are all growing, but the later they morphed the more of a head start they had size wise. But because the two small ones have been terrestrial for three months longer than the rest, they seem to be way ahead of the others development wise, even though they are smaller. If that makes any sense!

 

[sde]

So I think basically what Chinadog is saying is that they grow faster aquatically, but mature faster terrestrially.

Ok. So that answers another question I had - that they can morph before they are even a year old. So you're saying that they pretty much don't grow any bigger after they morph then? The size they morph at is the size that they stay?

Well, yes kind of. It all depends on the species. For instance the species you have, A. macrodactylum, can morph in the their first summer, second summer, or third summer. It all depends on temperature elevation, and if their pond dries up.

Great basin spadefoot toads for instance, only take a few days to hatch from eggs, and then only take 4-8 more weeks to morph.
So it depends on species, temperature, elevation, and if their pond dries up.

 

[NewtB]

Oh Ok! I think I got it. Thanks guys! How interesting! What amazing little creatures!
So last question (I think) ...

But because the two small ones have been terrestrial for three months longer than the rest, they seem to be way ahead of the others development wise, even though they are smaller. If that makes any sense!

So I think basically what Chinadog is saying is that they grow faster aquatically, but mature faster terrestrially.

What exactly are you looking at what you're say they mature faster development wise? Are you talking coloring and build? How do you know when they go from a juvenile to an adult? (I guess that's two questions.)

Well, yes kind of. It all depends on the species. For instance the species you have, A. macrodactylum, can morph in the their first summer, second summer, or third summer. It all depends on temperature elevation, and if their pond dries up.

-Thanks! that answered that question perfectly!

You guys have been a great help! Thank you!

 

[sde]

Oh Ok! I think I got it. Thanks guys! How interesting! What amazing little creatures!
So last question (I think) ...



What exactly are you looking at what you're say they mature faster development wise? Are you talking coloring and build? How do you know when they go from a juvenile to an adult? (I guess that's two questions.)


-Thanks! that answered that question perfectly!

You guys have been a great help! Thank you!

I am not positive what Chinadog was saying about them maturing faster, but I think he means the coloration, and overall appearance. So basically they look and seem more like adults at a younger age.

You can tell when they go from juvenile to adult mainly by size, coloration, and how old they are.
Of course, it takes a while for them to go from juvenile to adult. -Seth

 

[Chinadog]

Basically yes, although they've matured sooner rather than faster as they left the water sooner, but they are physically still smaller in in bulk than the others. It's not scientific in any way, just what I've seen with my particular group of Cynops and there may be other factors that I haven't picked up on, but I noticed their skin texture get more and more like the adults and their characteristic parotid glands and ridge down their backs begin to develop. At first I thought the ones that morphed early could have a different mother, but the rest are catching up now and the differences are less obvious.

 

[NewtB]

Interesting. Ok. Makes sense I guess. Thanks Chinadog!
Edit: in not sure why this came out in such small text! Sorry!