Thelloderma stellatum- breeding and eggs!

[SludgeMunkey]

I'm still suspecting the best way to get critters to breed is send them in the mail!


Anyway here is our T. stellatum and the first clutch of eggs!


You can't see us, we are not here...


Dang...I'm caught!


Hungry, hungry hippos.



First clutch of eggs! Thats the responsible female in the background. The male, not pictured, was standing guard at the base of the stick.
About thirty minutes after the lights came on, they returned to amplexus.

I can't share the detailed data yet, as this is someone else's research project, but I suspect the weather here in Bellevue, NE contributed to the results.
We have had varying barometric pressure due to every other day storm fronts moving through. So, monsoon breeders and all that.

[tgampper]

Congratulations! I'll tolerate a few more days of crappy Bellevue weather if he frogs will benefit from it

[elly]

Nice, congrats! glad their post office adventure got them in the mood.

[SludgeMunkey]

We are up to 29 tadpoles, with about thirty more eggs hatching over the next few days! We will make adults and juveniles available late this summer.

I ordered the supplies to run DNA sequencing. My lab minions are chomping the bit waiting for samples, but I won’t let them harm any critters. I figure it’s only a matter of time before we lose a tadpole or two based on past experience- then going to determine taxonomy! (I have suspicions).

But I have to admit they are entertaining little guys! Watching the males fight for a female is like sticky toed Three Stooges!

[Bynny Ribbit]

How cool! Keep us updated.

[SludgeMunkey]

Be n obscenely busy at the labs, but it appears the egg run is over. Total of 90 eggs with an astonishing 96% viability. Tadpole mortality less than 2%.Noticed some conspecific nibbling. Strange that it was the smaller younger larvae attacking the older large ones. Caused by population density it appears. Student sorted and isolated larvae by size/age and it ended. Interesting survival tactic!Mind still blown that “poor” water chemistry is beneficial to these. Too clean and they die!Getting ready to extract and sequence DNA from the few larvae that didn’t make it. Have to custom design sequencer library...