# There's no such thing as neotony in Dendrobatids, is there?



## JayzunBoget (Mar 7, 2008)

I have a D. azureus that hatched and went into the water back in the first week of May. It first showed the signs of imminent metamorphosis sometime in September.
By this, I mean the front legs free-ing themselves from their sheathes and the onset of color and pattern.
What didn't ever happen, even up till now, is the absorbtion of the tail or the changing of the mouth from that of a tadpole to an adult frog mouth shape, as well as the whole leaving the water thing.
I am confused. I have talked to him, explained the way things are, even had an intervention, he just won't metamorphose. I have tried not feeding him, hoping food scarcity might induce him, but no luck there. 
I am about to try lowering the water level till he is barely underwater.
He has the body lines of a healthy but chubby little froglet except the tail, which is placed oddly differant than a tadpole tail. He has magnificent azureus color and pattern and typical tadpole mouthparts.
Has this ever happened to anyone else? Is there such a thing as neotony in Dendrobatids? Is it possible he might not ever metamorphose?


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## Elf_Ascetic (Jan 31, 2009)

Well, your story answers the question pretty clearly.. There is neotony in Dendrobatids.

This is another case.


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## JayzunBoget (Mar 7, 2008)

Thanks for the tip on the other thread.
A far as does this prove neotony? Not yet anyways, it would have to reach sexual maturity and be capable of breeding for that to be true.
That would be kind of hard to test, as I would need another Dendrobatid with this condition of the opposite sex.
It would be interesting to find out, tho'.


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## Tim F (Jan 27, 2006)

Keep us posted!


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## JayzunBoget (Mar 7, 2008)

here are a few pics of my little "azureotl"


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Disruption of the thyroid controlled metamorphosis can result in this occuring. Anything that disrupts the hormone levels (such as but not limited to to gentic defects, tumors, or even spontaneous developmental abnormalities). 
It is not true neotony as it would have to grow into an adult that would be able to reproduce and it appears that the issues with metamorphosis have frozen it into a metamorph so the the gonads are unlikely to further develop. If it is still feeding like a tadpole that means there is a good chance that the intestine has either not changed over to a adult conformation or has only done so partially. 

Exposing the frog to thyroid should cause the transformation to finish but if the frog then fails to continue to produce sufficient thyroid hormones you would have to inject the frog or it will die from a variety of causes such as an inability to shed (this is seen in axolotls that are forced to metamorph via hormone induction). 

Ed


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