AXOLOTL LARVA

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1) AXOLOTL LARVA

1.1) CLASSIFICATION OF AXOLOTL LARVA

1.2) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

1.3) HABIT AND HABITAT

1.4) GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF AXOLOTL LARVA

1.5) Special features

1.6) Identification

1.7) REFERENCES

CLASSIFICATION OF AXOLOTL LARVA

PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present )

Group :- CRANIATA ( Definite head. Cranium with brain present )

Sub-phylum :- VERTEBRATA ( vertebral column present)

Division :- GNATHOSTOMATA ( Jaws and paired appendages present )

Super class :- TETRAPODA ( Paired limbs, lungs, bony skeleton and cornified skin)

Class :- AMPHIBIA ( Scaleless glandular skin , have 3 chambered heart , cold blooded, 2 occipital condyles, can live in water and land both )

Order :- URODELA OR CAUDATA ( Scaleless Amphibia having well developed tail, generally with two limbs, with or without external gills and gill-slits in adults).

Sub-order :- . AMBYSTOMOIDEA ( Eye lid, present Adults are terrestrial).

Genus :- Ambystoma

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Found in North America, Central Mexico and the United States.

HABIT AND HABITAT

Adults are terrestrial.

GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF AXOLOTL LARVA

The Axolotl larva was previously considered as adult form and called Siredon. Later on it was found to be larva of Ambystoma.
It has 3 pairs of crimson coloured external gills and 4 pairs of open gill clefts. Head contains eyes, nostril and mouth.
Larva is perennial. Body measuring about 27 cm in length is divided into head, trunk and tail. Tail is provided with caudal fin. Forelimbs and hind limbs present.
It becomes sexually mature and lays eggs.
Axolotl larva in captivity metamorphoses to adult. Metamorphosis can be induced by injecting thyroid injections into Axolotl larva. Axolotls of six months or more are easily induced for metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis to adult becomes difficult as the larva grows older. The partly metamorphosed terrestrial animals can be again induced to go back to larval stage.

Special features

Axolotl larvae of Ambystoma do not undergo metamorphosis if there is abundance of nutrition and oxygen supply and they develop gonads like adult to breed sexually. The phenomenon of neoteny or paedogenesis is either due to lack of iodine or heredity and environment. A. mexicanus is supposed to be genetically neotenic.