Mysterious life history of Paddletails

[zhanggeer]

The life history of Paddletails is full of mystery.
Very few photos record its eggs, larvae and what they look like when they finish metamorphosis.
Yesterday, I find two pic on newspaper.
Both of them were found on the same place.
Pic 1 is terrestrial form Paddletails. Pic 2 is aquatic form.
My guess is when larvae finish metamorphosis, some of them will climb to the land, the other will stay in water.
As for the reason, maybe food, competion for for existence. I'm not so sure.

 

[zhanggeer]

the life history of paddletails is full of mystery.
Very few photos record its eggs, larvae and what they look like when they finish metamorphosis.
Yesterday, i find two pic on newspaper.
Both of them were found on the same place.
Pic 1 is terrestrial form paddletails. Pic 2 is aquatic form.
My guess is when larvae finish metamorphosis, some of them will climb to the land, the other will stay in water.
As for the reason, maybe food, competion for for existence. I'm not so sure.

11111111

 

[Chinadog]

I thought you posted some other pictures of juvenile and terrestrial adult Paddletails n a different thread? Those pictures are so rare, that it would be worth re posting them here so we can have a thread dedicated to the Paddletail's life cycle?
Maybe someone has bread them in captivity before, but the most i've seen backed up by pictures is the female guarding freshly laid eggs. I can't find a single picture of larvae either on this site or anywhere else.

Maybe one of our hard working Mods would move this thread to the Paddletail section so it's easier to find in future?

 

[zhanggeer]

I thought you posted some other pictures of juvenile and terrestrial adult Paddletails n a different thread? Those pictures are so rare, that it would be worth re posting them here so we can have a thread dedicated to the Paddletail's life cycle?
Maybe someone has bread them in captivity before, but the most i've seen backed up by pictures is the female guarding freshly laid eggs. I can't find a single picture of larvae either on this site or anywhere else.

Maybe one of our hard working Mods would move this thread to the Paddletail section so it's easier to find in future?

I will find these terrestrial Paddletails and larvae next year.
Especially for Pachytriton brevipes.
My friend seen terrestrial Pachytriton brevipes before.

 

[Chinadog]

Found them! I hope you don't mind me moving them here.

 

[zhanggeer]

Found them! I hope you don't mind me moving them here.

 

[Yahilles]

Very interesting thread! From what i previously known, only once the scientists researching wild Pachytriton have found a terrestial juvenile, and some of the few people who bred them in captivity said their morphs are generally aquatic (skin not suited to terrestial life), some claimed they move on land, but so few people ever raised them to adulthood. The terrestial ones on your photos remind me of Salamandrina or Taricha rivularis. Never knew there are terrestial adults, as is read in scientific papers, even the tongues of the adults are no longer useful to shooting for prey on land.

 

[Chinadog]

The terrestrial forms were thought to be a different species until recently, from what I can find out.

 

[zhanggeer]

The terrestrial forms were thought to be a different species until recently, from what I can find out.

I know the authors of that paper. Two of them are my friends.
That paper is a academic joke.

 

[Yahilles]

BTW, do you have any more field information on Pachytriton? Like pictures of their biotopes, which animals they co-exist with, when do they breed etc?

 

[zhanggeer]

Found them! I hope you don't mind me moving them here.

new picture