Just curious if anyone has read/heard/experience with captive breeding of these two species?
Like most native US species, most people don't seem to bother trying to breed these. Plus, if you live in their range, their offspring are incredibly easy to find at the right time of the year. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Not really, sorry. Eastern spadefoots are illegal in Massachusetts, otherwise I would be tempted to keep/breed them.
They're common where I live, but I've got this thing about being able to breed the species I keep. If I were to collect some it would be nice to propogate them in captivity.
I suppose if I had some and kept them in the garage over the winter I could breed them similarly to the way you (John) breed the grey tree frogs.
My amphibian breeding experience has been strictly with caudates; mostly 'easy' ones.
I don't know about Kentucky, but Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife doesn't want people breeding native species.
Kentucky's laws regarding Reptiles and Amphibians are fairly lax (for better or worse depending on how you look at it):
(8) Amphibians and reptiles.
(a) Except as provided for in Section 2 of this administrative regulation and this subsection, captive wildlife permits are not required for persons taking or possessing up to five (5) individuals of each species of a native reptile or amphibian. Exception to taking or possessing five (5) individuals of each species:
1. No limit on snapping and smooth and spiny softshell turtles;
2. Fifteen (15) per night limit on bullfrogs; and
3. Possession limit of twenty-five (25) dusky salamanders (spring lizards) of the genus Desmognathus.
(b) There shall not be a limit on the number of individuals of each species possessed by a commercial or noncommercial captive wildlife permit holder, provided the permit holder does not possess more than five (5) wild-caught individuals of each species of amphibian or reptile.
(c) A captive wildlife permit shall not be required to hold reptiles with a color morphology that is distinctly different from the wild type of the same species of reptile.
I couldn't find the exact reg. but I'm fairly certain commercial permit holders are legallly able to breed native species of amphibians and reptiles.
I have a problem with there being no limit on the harvesting of snapping and soft-shell turtles. That's going to be a major problem down the road when these turtles have been over collected and wiped out from the water ways of Kentucky.
I know you can catch them with a fishing rod. and nets. No problem.
Like I said, KY regulations are soft when it comes to native species. It really gets my attention in regards to hellbenders as we have a decent population which is just now getting surveyed at various locals throughout the state.
In regards to the turtles, I know a few people who collect them for food and I see healthy populations of them in some areas. I'm not certain as to how many are collected each year for this purpose, but I would speculate that it's not that many compared with the overall population. I agree that fish and wildlife should keep tabs on these sorts of things to prevent them from becoming extripated.
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