Growth and food of larval Ambystoma gracile from a lowland population in southwestern British Columbia

Abstract

Growth and food of larval Ambystoma gracile from a lowland population in southwestern British Columbia were studied.In late March the salamander larvae hatch at a snout–vent length of 8 mm. After 13 to 14 months, most larvae metamorphose at about 50 mm s–v length. A small percentage of the population is neotenous.Food eaten by both small and large larvae is similar. A few prey items, especially small dipteran larvae and crustaceans, are eaten in abundance during all months and represent the bulk of most food taken by all size larvae.