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Potomotyphlus kaupii

TJ

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lane

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I can't believe how lucky you are Tim! I've never heard of Potomotyphlus ever appearing in a pet shop before. I hope some have also been imported to the U.S.!
 

TJ

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Hi Lane. Yep, it sure is a nice critter. But I did neglect to mention something important, namely the asking price. Get this: $1,160! Never even entered my mind to purchase it. Also, my T.natans would be jealous
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lane

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Wow! That is the most escalated price I've heard of yet from a Japanese pet shop. Is that per pair or individual? You could probably go to Amazonia and collect your own for the same cost!
Still it is nice to see new pictures and know that other aquatic caecilians are out there though.
 

TJ

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That's for only one -- and there was only one. Yep, that'd about cover the cost of a round trip ticket. Maybe go there around carnival time
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I've seen hellbenders sold here for slightly less than that. N.kaiseri was being sold for around $500. T.marmoratus adults regularly fetch $150. Necturus sold for as little as $11 in the States go for 10 times as much here.

But I'm told caecilians are occasionally imported into Japan quite cheaply from Peru and elsewhere through the tropical fish route rather than the herp route.
 
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edward

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Hi Tim,
I suspect that at least part of the cost is that these caecilians are from countries that do not allow the legal export of any vertebrates other than fish so small numbers get smuggled out as "eels" unknown species. (same thing for Typhlonectes from Colombia).
These are very cool and can get pretty large (500 mm I believe) as with some of the other South American aquatic species these guys are live bearers and should require the same husbandry as Typhlonectes.
Ed
 
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lane

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Ed, have you had personal experience with Typhlonectinae besides T natans?

I find the Typhlonectinae very interesting and would love to be able to start to develop a collection of them, but due to their unavailability, tank size constraints, and conflicting temperatures between Gymnophiona needs and Caudata needs, it isn't really possible. I will continue to try though.

I have heard of Chthonerpeton possibly being imported once in the 80's, but that is all. I'd like to know if any aquatic caecilians besides T natans have been imported or still do occasionally show up.

Finally, I noticed on AmphibiaWeb there is a description of Atretochoana. It sounds the most intriguing due to Nussbaum and Wilkinson's assumptions: a cold water, lungless, stream-dwelling caecilian.
 
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edward

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Hi Lane,
I'll have to check out the info on Atretochoana as it sounds pretty neat.
As for experience with T. natans I have had about ten years of working with this species inclucind several generations. (and also have worked with Schistometopum thomenses, Afrocaecilia tatiana, Dermophis mexicana and Geotrypetes seriphina.) There are about 30 babies outside my office door at work at this time from last years breedings. We are trying to not breed anymore at this time as most of the Zoo's holding space is limited so I have seperated out the sexes.
T. natans still comes in illegally in fish shipments and is occasionally offered on aquabid.com.
I'm not sure what you mean by space requirements as several adults will be just fine in a 20 long aquarium. Temps are another issue as they do like to be as close to 80F as possible (and it cuts down on the incidence of fungal infections) and they do require a water that is low in hardness.
I haven't seen any Chthonerpeton for sale but if you do let me know (if you haven't grabbed then yourself). This species should be very similar in care to Typhlonectes.
Ed
 
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lane

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If you need to get rid of any of those juveniles I know of someone you can dump them off on *wink wink*.

I feel 20 longs are a bit small for housing several adults. I also just like giving them a larger aquarium so I can see them swim more.

Do you know if T compressicauda ever shows up? I am surprised compressicauda, Potomotyphlus, Chthonerpeton and Nectocaecilia don't show up in pet shops more regularly if at all. Many other animals collected from their range frequent pet shops.

In any case, hopefully more aquatic caecilians become available in the near future.
 
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edward

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Hi Lane,
Its not up to me who gets them (or I'd have some at home).
There have been no reliable accounts of T. compressicaudas in the USA but T. compressicaudas is the species that was imported into Europe during the same period (which I find odd as the country (Colombia) of origin is the same. It is very difficult to tell them apart from external morphology unless you anesthetise one and look at the cloaca. There are differences in the denticulation of the cloaca which allows for identification of species (the other differences are in the teeth, and lengths of the right and left lung which need the animal to be dissected) (See Wilkinson, Mark, 1996, The taxonomic status of Typhlonectes venezuelense Fuhrmann (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Typhlonectidae), Herpetological Journal 6: 30-31).
I would be interested in any of the other species, if they became available, but unless these countries actually open up to legal exportation it will be an unlikely prospect.
Ed
 

TJ

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There were a couple of T.compressicauda in the same shop as the P.kaupii but they looked just like T.natans to me and I didn't bother to take any pics.
 
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warren

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Here is a pic of my female (maybe, since the cloaca apparently cannot be used 100%). She is extremely light shy and spends the daylight hours buried in the substrate. The picture was taken with the lights low and a flash. She is feeding well on red wrigglers, frozen bloodworms, and frozen tubifex. This specimen is as good at burrowing as a fossorial.
poto1.jpg
 
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