BREEDING HABITS OF AMPHIBIA *' 



Canada, particularly in the East. It lacks the series of vertical grooves on the side of 

 the body, characteristic of salamanders. The back and sides are olive and the belly is 

 light yellow with most of the bright vermillion spots on the sides and belly. The male 

 possesses a row of pits, the hedonic glands, on the side of the head and can also be dis- 

 tinguished by its protruding cloaca. These forms may be fed strips of liver, or small 

 earthworms, but the food must be moving to be attractive. 



Breeding occurs in April and May, following an elaborate courtship which is terminated 

 when the female picks up the spermatophores dropped by the male. The eggs are layed 

 in sluggish water and are attached singly to stems, leaves, and other submerged objects. 

 Spermatogenesis can be encouraged in the laboratory with temperatures of 53°F. or 

 higher and sperm discharge is achieved by temperatures above 73°F. , even in the winter 

 time. From egg-laying to hatching is about 20-35 days, the larval period lasting about 

 80 days when the larva transforms into a bright orange, and terrestrial "red-eft". This 

 stage cannot live in the water and possesses a skin which is highly repellent to water. 

 Transformation into an aquatic form occurs after several (2 to 4) seasons and breeding 

 then begins, in water. This form responds readily to anterior pituitary induced ovula- 

 tion in the laboratory at almost any time of the (academic) year. 



REFERENCES 



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