[Herpetology • 2026] Tylototriton guilinensis • A New Species of Genus Tylototriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) from northeastern Guangxi, China

 Tylototriton guilinensis 

Xiao, Chen, Wu, Pan, Chen, Yu & Huang, 2026

桂林疣螈 | Guilin Crocodile Newt  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.184792

 photos by Yuanqiang Pan

Abstract

Currently, the genus Tylototriton comprises 44 species, of which 24 occur in China, and only one is formally recorded in Guangxi, China. In this study, based on evidence from molecular and morphological comparisons, we describe a new species of the genus Tylototriton, Tylototriton guilinensis sp. nov., from Quanzhou County, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA and ND2 genes strongly supported that this new species belongs to the T. asperrimus species group and is sister to the clade of T. dabienicus and T. gaowangjienensis. This new taxon can be distinguished from all other known congeners by the following morphological characteristics: (1) medium body size (117.86 ± 9.46 mm); (2) rib nodules flattened, indistinct, not separated, and almost in continuous longitudinal rows, forming a dorsolateral fold; (3) orange coloration of the rib nodules absent; (4) orange markings on the parotoid absent; (5) head wider than long (HDL/HDW = 0.92–0.99); (6) finger tips extending beyond the snout when forelimbs are stretched forward; (7) tips of forelimbs and hindlimbs reaching and overlapping when folded towards the body; (8) snout truncate, nearly square-shaped in dorsal view; (9) gular fold present; (10) adult males possessing cloacal papillae within the fissure; (11) peripheral area of cloaca orange; (12) the orange coloration at the ventral edge of the tail contacting the orange coloration around the cloaca. In addition, we find that T. asperrimus from Baise, Guangxi, actually belongs to T. sini.

Key Words: morphology, phylogeny, taxonomy, Tylototriton asperrimus, Tylototriton guilinensis sp. nov.

 

The holotype of Tylototriton guilinensis sp. nov. (GXNU YU001042) in life.
Dorsolateral (A), dorsal (B), and ventral (C) views.

  (Photo by Yuanqiang Pan).

 

Tylototriton guilinensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Tylototriton guilinensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of morphological characteristics: (1) medium body size (117.9 ± 9.5 mm); (2) rib nodules flatten, indistinct, not separated, and almost in continuous longitudinal rows forming a dorsolateral fold; (3) orange coloration of the rib nodules absent; (4) orange markings on the parotoid absent; (5) head wider (HDW) than long (HDL) (HDL/HDW = 0.92‒0.99); (6) finger tips extending beyond the snout when forelimbs stretched forward; (7) tips of forelimbs and hindlimbs reaching and overlapping when folded towards the body; (8) snout truncate, nearly square shaped in dorsal view; (9) gular fold present; (10) adult males possessing cloacal papillae within the fissure; (11) peripheral area of cloaca orange; and (12) the orange coloration at the ventral edge of tail contacted with the orange coloration around the cloaca.

Etymology. The new species is named after its type locality, Guilin City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. We propose the Chinese name as “桂林疣螈” (Guì Lín Yóu Yuán) and the English common name as “Guilin Crocodile Newt.”

 Wei Xiao, Xinbin Chen, Xiangjian Wu, Yuanqiang Pan, Ju Chen, Guohua Yu and Huayuan Huang. 2026. A New Species of Genus Tylototriton (Caudata, Salamandridae) from northeastern Guangxi, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 102(2): 671-686. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.184792

[Herpetology • 2026] Tylototriton vietnamirabilis • A New Species of Tylototriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) from Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, Nghe An Province, Vietnam

Tylototriton vietnamirabilis 

 Ong, T. Q. Phan, Hoang, M. H. T. Nguyen, T. T. Nguyen, Ziegler, T. Q. Nguyen and C. T. Pham, 2026

Vietnamazing Crocodile Newt  | Cá cóc việt nam kỳ thú  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1276.173848 

Abstract

A new species of crocodile newt, Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov., is described from Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, Nghe An Province, in the border area between Vietnam and Laos, based on molecular divergence and morphological differences. Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov. differs from other species in the subgenus Tylototriton by its body size, tail length, glandular ridge on the midline of crown of head, parotoid shape, appearance of vertebral ridge, number of dorsolateral glandular warts, the presence of a gular fold, coloration of head and body, and the presence of lateral grooves on tail. In terms of genetic distance, the new species differs from other congeners for which comparable sequences are available by at least 5.33–5.35% (T. panwaensis) and 5.35–5.37% (T. anguliceps), based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene. Our new finding brings the total number of known species in the genus Tylototriton from Vietnam to 10. Because the new species is currently known to be restricted to evergreen montane forests on Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, we recommend to be classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List.

Key words: Crocodile newts, morphology, ND2 gene, phylogenetic relationships, taxonomy, Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov.

Paratypes of Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov. in life.
 A. Dorsolateral view (IB A.6427, male); B. Dorsolateral view (IB A.6429, female). Photos: Cuong The Pham.

Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov.

 

Diagnosis. The new species is assigned to the subgenus Tylototriton based on the results of the molecular phylogenetic analyses and the following morphological attributes: back with dorsal granules, head with dorsolateral bony ridges, knob-like warts or rib nodules present on dorsolateral body, and the absence of quadrate spine (Le et al. 2015; Fei and Ye 2016; Pomchote et al. 2021, 2024). The new species is diagnosed from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1) size medium (SVL 61.2–67.9 mm, TL 64.3–75.2 mm in males, and SVL 71.6 mm, TL 78.3 mm in a single female); (2) tail longer than the snout-vent length; (3) head longer than wide; (4) glandular ridge on midline of crown distinct; (5) parotoids prominent and enlarged, projecting backwards; (6) vertebral ridge large, raised, and glandular in appearance; (7) 15 or 16 distinct dorsolateral glandular warts; (8) gular fold present; (9) dorsolateral bony ridges, parotoids, rib nodules, and vertebral ridge dull orange; and (10) tail with distinct lateral grooves.

Etymology. The name “vietnamirabilis” is a Latinized form of the modern word creation Vietnamazing. The new species is named to highlight the Vietnamazing conservation campaign 2024–2025 of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). The Vietnamazing campaign aimed to raise public awareness of Vietnam’s unique biodiversity and its conservation, establish conservation projects with crocodile newts being one of the flagship groups of the campaign and raise funds for species conservation, following and higlighting IUCN's "One Plan Approach to Conservation". From 2026 onwards, after the completion of the EAZA campaign, Vietnamazing will continue as the Vietnamazing conservation network, a program under ZGAP (Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations). As common names, we suggest Vietnamazing Crocodile Newt (English), Cá cóc việt nam kỳ thú (Vietnamese).

 An Vinh Ong, Tien Quang Phan, Chung Van Hoang, Mai Hong Thi Nguyen, Tao Thien Nguyen, Thomas Ziegler, Truong Quang Nguyen and Cuong The Pham. 2026. A New Species of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Salamandridae) from Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, Nghe An Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1276: 285-305. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1276.173848 [08 Apr 2026]

[Herpetology • 2024] Tylototriton koliaensis • Multiple Lines of Evidence for A New Cryptic Species of Tylototriton (Amphibia: Salamandridae) from northern Vietnam

 

 Tylototriton koliaensis 
Poyarkov, Nguyen, S.X. Le, D.X. Le,  Arkhipov, Gorin, Hernandez & Dufresnes, 2024

 Cao Bang Crocodile Newt ||  Researchgate.net/publication/385746634 

facebook.com: Nguyen Van Tan

Using molecular (mitochondrial DNA, multilocus genomic loci) and phenotypic (morphology, coloration, osteology) analyses, we reveal a new cryptic species of crocodile newt of the Tylototriton asperrimus species group from Viet Bac Mountain Range, northern Vietnam. The new species was previously confounded with T. asperrimus, T. vietnamensis and more recently T. ziegleri, its closest relative, from which it can be distinguished by a combination of diagnostic characters at phenotypic traits including rib nodules, cranial bony ridges, skin granulation, orange spotting patterns, vomerine teeth shape and relative limb size. General differences in body shape between the new species and T. ziegleri s. str. are further corroborated by multivariate morphological analyses. Phylogenetic analysis of the ND2 and 16S rRNA mtDNA gene fragments (1665 bp) confirm the placement of the new species in the subgenus Yaotriton as the sister species of T. ziegleri s. str. (p-distance 2.7 % in the ND2 gene). Furthermore, the differentiation of the two species is fully supported by the analysis of 3901 genomic loci (556,209 bp) obtained by double digest RAD-sequencing. The new species is presently isolated in the northeastern parts of the Viet Bac Massif (Ngan Son Mountain Range) while T. ziegleri s. str. is restricted to its western part (Song Gam Mountain Range); their respective ranges are presumably separated by the Gam River Valley. The new species is probably threatened by extinction on the short term, being currently known only from montane evergreen broadleaf forests (~1000–1400 m of elevation) in the Nguyen Binh and Bao Lac districts of Cao Bang Province of Vietnam, but potentially extending to Jingxi County in the adjacent Guangxi Province of China. Our study emphasizes the benefits of relatively new technologies such as high-throughput sequencing and X-ray microtomography for the integrative taxonomy of cryptic, closely related amphibian species, and brings research on the iconic genus Tylototriton into the genomic era.

Keywords: 16S rRNA, Cao Bang Province, ddRAD-seq, endemism, Gam River, micro-CT scanning, mtDNA genealogy, ND2, taxonomy, Tylototriton ziegleri

 Distribution of  Tylototriton koliaensis sp. nov. (red), T. ziegleri s. str. (blue) and T. thaiorum (green) in northern Indochina. A, map of Indochina, the inset shows the area of the studied species. B, localities of the studied species; see Table 1 for locality details. Dots show type localities. Locality 4 was not confirmed with molecular data and should be regarded as Tylototriton cf. koliaensis sp. nov.

Specimens of  Tylototriton koliaensis sp. nov. in life from Kolia Mountain Pass, Phia Oac-Phia Den National Park, Nguyen Binh, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam.
A, holotype ZMMU A-8157, female, in situ; B, paratype ZMMU A-8158, male, in situ.

 Photographs by Nikolay A. Poyarkov.

Tylototriton koliaensis Poyarkov, Nguyen, Le, Le,  Arkhipov, Gorin, Hernandez & Dufresnes, sp. nov. 

Cao Bang Crocodile Newt

 Holotype of Tylototriton koliaensis sp. nov. (ZMMU A-8157, female) in preservative. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, head, dorsal view; D, head, ventral view; E, head, lateral view; F, palmar view of right hand; G, plantar view of left foot; H, ventral view of cloacal area.

 Photographs by Nikolay A. Poyarkov.

Specimens of Tylototriton ziegleri s. str. in life.
 A, male ZMMU A-8167 from Thanh Van Village, Quang Ba, Bat Dai Son Nature Reserve, Ha Giang Province, Vietnam, in situ; B, male from Chieu Lau Thi Mt., Ha Giang Province, Vietnam, in situ (not collected); C, male from Wenshan, Yunnan Province, China, in situ (not collected).

Photographs by Nikolay A. Poyarkov (A), Loi Phuoc Tran (B), and Yinpeng Zhang (C).

Nikolay A. POYARKOV, Tan Van NGUYEN, Son Xuan LE, Dac Xuan LE, Dmitriy V. ARKHIPOV, Vladislav A. GORIN, Axel HERNANDEZ and Christophe DUFRESNES. 2024. Multiple Lines of Evidence for A New Cryptic Species of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Salamandridae) from northern Vietnam. Alytes. 41(1-4); 56-98. 

 Researchgate.net/publication/385746634_a_new_cryptic_species_of_Tylototriton_from_northern_Vietnam

  facebook.com/61554349471203/posts/122114909702144982

[Herpetology • 2023] Tylototriton zaimeng • A New cryptic Species of Tylototriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) from mysterious mountain lakes in Manipur, north-eastern India

Tylototriton zaimeng  

Decemson, Lalremsanga, Elangbam, Vabeiryureilai, Shinde, Purkayastha, Arkhipov, Bragin & Poyarkov, 2023

DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.36.e106614 

Researchgate.net/publication/373111590

Abstract

An integrative taxonomic analysis combining molecular and morphological lines of evidence revealed a new cryptic species in the Tylototriton verrucosus species group from Manipur, north-eastern India. The new species was previously confused with T. himalayanus and T. verrucosus. Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by medium body size, head massive and wide with rounded snout and very wide and protruding supratemporal bony ridges and a well-developed sagittal ridge, short limbs not overlapping when adpressed along body, wide and not segmented vertebral ridge distinct, 13–14 pairs of rib nodules, brown colouration with dull orange to yellowish-brown markings on head, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, palms, soles, vent and ventral tail ridge and by vomerine teeth organised in two distinctly curved bell-shaped series. Phylogenetic analysis of the ND2 and 16S rRNA mtDNA genes confirmed the placement of the new species to the Clade I of the subgenus Tylototriton and suggested it is a sister species of T. panwaensis and T. houi (p-distance 3.0% in ND2 gene). The range of the new species is restricted to the Khongtheng Mountain Range and is isolated from the range of T. panwaensis and T. houi in northern Myanmar and southern China, respectively. We suggest the new species to be considered as Vulnerable (VU) in the IUCN Red List.

Key Words: 16S rRNA, endemism, Khongtheng Mountain Range, mtDNA genealogy, ND2, taxonomy, Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov.

Family Salamandridae Goldfuss, 1820

Subfamily Pleurodelinae Tschudi, 1838

Genus Tylototriton Anderson, 1871

Subgenus Tylototriton Anderson, 1871

Holotype of Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. (MZMU-3041, female) in situ. Photograph by Andrey M. Bragin and Ht. Decemson.

 Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. 

 Proposed English name: Zaimeng Lake Crocodile Newt

Diagnosis: The new species is assigned to the genus Tylototriton by having the following combination of morphological attributes: (1) the presence of dorsal granules, (2) dorsolateral bony ridges on the head, (3) the presence of dorsolateral series of rib nodules (knob-like warts); and (4) the absence of a quadrate spine and molecular data (see Fig. 2). Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. is distinguished from all other congeners by a combination of the following morphological attributes: (1) medium body size, adult SVL 61.4–67.5 mm in males, 61.6–68.7 mm in females; (2) tail comparatively short, subequal or slightly longer than body in both sexes, lacking lateral grooves; (3) skin roughly granulated; (4) head massive and wide, relative maximal head width comprising 24.3–27.9% of SVL; (5) snout rounded in dorsal view; (6) supratemporal bony ridges on head very wide, protruding, with rough surface, beginning at the snout; (7) sagittal ridge on head well-distinct, very wide and protruding; (8) limbs comparatively short, tips of fore-limb and hind-limb not overlapping when adpressed along body; (9) vertebral ridge distinct, wide and not segmented; (10) rib nodules distinct, 13–14 along each side of body; (11) background colouration brown; (12) head, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, palms, soles, vent and ventral tail ridge with dull orange to yellowish-brown markings; (13) vomerine teeth organised in two distinctly curved bell-shaped widening anteriorly series, with 81–113 teeth.

Etymology: The specific name “zaimeng” is given as a noun in apposition and represents a Latinised version of the Liangmei dialect word “zaimeng” literally meaning “Puzzle Lake” or “Mystery Lake”. The name is given in reference to the Zaimeng Lake – a high-elevation mountain lake in Koubru Forest Division, the famous location where the crocodile newts were for the first time recorded in Manipur. It is believed that the name of the Lake was given by the Zeliangrong ancestors of Thonglang Village who passed by the Lake, but could not find their way to their destination as they used to return to the same spot again and again and circled the Lake over and over again (Sebastian 2015).

Recommended vernacular names: We recommend the following trivial name in English: Zaimeng Lake Crocodile Newt. The vernacular name in Liangmei dialect: Tadui taku; Tangkhul: Lengva; Manipuri: Hangoi mamei panba.

Natural habitat of Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. at Zaimeng Lake, Koubru Forest Division, Kangpokpi, Manipur, India.
A. Vegetation surrounding the Zaimeng Lake; B. Males of Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov. in situ; C. Breeding habitat of Tylototriton zaimeng sp. nov., numerous individuals can be seen on the muddy bottom of the lake.

Photographs by Parag Shinde and Ht. Decemson.

Ht. Decemson, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Premjit Singh Elangbam, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai, Parag Shinde, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Dmitriy V. Arkhipov, Andrey M. Bragin, Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2023. A New cryptic Species of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae) from mysterious mountain lakes in Manipur, north-eastern India. Herpetozoa. 36: 203-224. DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.36.e106614

 Researchgate.net/publication/373111590_A_new_cryptic_species_of_Tylototriton_from_Manipur_India

[Herpetology • 2020] Tylototriton phukhaensis • A New Species of Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Nan Province, Northern Thailand

กระท่างน้ำดอยภูคา  ||  Tylototriton phukhaensis 

Pomchote, Khonsue, Thammachoti, Hernandez, Suwannapoom et Nishikawa

in Pomchote, Khonsue, ... et Nishikawa, 2020. 

 tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TNH

ABSTRACT

A new species of the genus Tylototriton, obtained from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, northern Thailand,is described based on molecular and morphological evidenceand named herein as Tylototriton phukhaensis sp. nov. The new speciesis morphologically distinct from thefour known Thai Tylototriton species(T. panhai, T. uyenoi, T. anguliceps and T. verrucosus),in having a prominent, narrow, and straight sagittal ridge on the head that distinguishes itfrom the other Thai species.The molecular analysis also indicated that the new species is a distinct lineage and sister to T. anguliceps and T. uyenoi.The knowledge obtained in this study will greatly contributeto conductingthe future conservation of Thai Tylototriton.

KEY WORDS: molecular phylogeny, morphology, new species, Thailand, Tylototriton

FIGURE 4. Male Tylototriton phukhaensis sp. nov. in its habitat.

Photo by Porrawee Pomchote. 

Tylototriton phukhaensis Pomchote, Khonsue, Thammachoti, Hernandez, Suwannapoom et Nishikawa sp. nov.

(Thai name: กระท่างน้ำดอยภูคา - Kra Tang Nam Doi Phu Kha)

(English name: Doi Phu Kha newt)

Tylototriton  errucosus: Nabhitabhata and Chan-ard (2005): 181.

Tylototriton uyenoi: Hernandez (2016): 168.

Diagnosis: The new species is placed in the genus Tylototriton by having the combination of dorsal  granules present; dorsolateral bony ridges on head present; knob-like warts (rib nodules) on dorsolateral body present; quadrate spine absent. Tylototriton  phukhaensis sp. nov. differs from  other congeners by having the following morphological characters: medium size, adult SVL 64.3 mm in male and 68.9–70.2 mm in females; skin rough with fine granules; sagittal ridge on head narrow, long, and distinct; vertebral ridge distinct and weakly segmented; rib nodules prominent; limbs long and thin;tips of forelimb and hindlimb overlapping when adpressed along body; tail thin.

Etymology: The specific epithet phukhaensisis derived from the name of Doi Phu Kha National Park, where the species occurs.

Distribution: The distribution of Tylototriton phukhaensis sp. nov.is currently only known from a single locality in atemporary  swamp in  the Doi Dong Ya  Wai  Mountain, Doi Phu Kha National Park,  Nan Province, northern Thailandat an elevation of 1,795 m  amsl (Fig. 7). The  Phu  Kha Mountain or Doi Phu Kha is one of the mountains located along the Luang Prabang Range that  consists of a series of high mountain ranges from Thailand to Laos (Fig.1). Thus, the range distribution of this species is expected to be wider.

Porrawee Pomchote, Wichase Khonsue, Panupong Thammachoti, Axel Hernandez, Parada Peerachidacho, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, Yasuho Onishi and Kanto Nishikawa. 2020. A New Species of Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Nan Province, Northern Thailand. Tropical Natural History. 20(2); 144-161. tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TNH/article/view/240064

[Herpetology • 2018] Phylogenetic Surveys on the Newt Genus Tylototriton sensu lato (Salamandridae, Caudata) reveal Cryptic Diversity and Novel Diversification Promoted by Historical Climatic Shifts

Figure 1: Sampling localities (A) and Maximum likelihood (ML) tree obtained based on mtDNA data of Tylototriton s.l. and relatives (B). Sample number 1–108 refer to Table S1. Five clades (I, II, III, IV and V) of the genus were denoted as different colors. Bootstrap supports (bs) resulted from ML analyses and posterior probability (pp) resulted from Bayesian inference (BI) method were labeled on major nodes. Node supports ML1 and BI1 were resulted from analyses on mtDNA data, while ML2 and BI2 were from analyses on four-gene concatenated data. Black: bs > 70% or pp > 0.95, grey: bs = 50–70% or pp = 0.85–0.95, white: bs < 50% and pp < 0.85.

in Wang, Nishikawa, Matsui, et al​., 2018.

  DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4384 

Abstract

Global climatic transitions and Tibetan Plateau uplifts are hypothesized to have profoundly impacted biodiversity in southeastern Asia. To further test the hypotheses related to the impacts of these incidents, we investigated the diversification patterns of the newt genus Tylototriton sensu lato, distributed across the mountain ranges of southeastern Asia. Gene-tree and species-tree analyses of two mitochondrial genes and two nuclear genes revealed five major clades in the genus, and suggested several cryptic species. Dating estimates suggested that the genus originated in the early-to-middle Miocene. Under different species delimitating scenarios, diversification analyses with birth-death likelihood tests indicated that the genus held a higher diversification rate in the late Miocene-to-Pliocene era than that in the Pleistocene. Ancestral area reconstructions indicated that the genus originated from the northern Indochina Peninsula. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the Miocene Climatic Transition triggered the diversification of the genus, and the reinforcement of East Asian monsoons associated with the stepwise uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau promoted the radiation of the genus in southeastern Asia during the Miocene-to-Pliocene period. Quaternary glacial cycles likely had limited effects on speciation events in the genus, but mainly had contributions on their intraspecific differentiations.

Figure 1: Sampling localities (A) and Maximum likelihood (ML) tree obtained based on mtDNA data of Tylototriton s.l. and relatives (B).
Sample number 1–108 refer to Table S1. Five clades (I, II, III, IV and V) of the genus were denoted as different colors. Bootstrap supports (bs) resulted from ML analyses and posterior probability (pp) resulted from Bayesian inference (BI) method were labeled on major nodes. Node supports ML1 and BI1 were resulted from analyses on mtDNA data, while ML2 and BI2 were from analyses on four-gene concatenated data. Black: bs > 70% or pp > 0.95, grey: bs = 50–70% or pp = 0.85–0.95, white: bs < 50% and pp < 0.85.

in Wang, Nishikawa, Matsui, et al​., 2018.

  DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4384

Conclusions: 

Our findings provided evidence for the profound influences of historical climate shifts especially associated with the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau on the diversification of animals occurring in the southeastern Asia. The results basically confirmed the reports on plant lineages, such as Rheum (Sun et al., 2012), Lepisorus (Wang et al., 2012a; Wang et al., 2012b), Juniperus (Mao et al., 2010) and Isodon (Yu et al., 2014), and on animal groups, such as Chiastocheta Pokorny, 1889 (Anthomyiidae, Diptera, Insecta; Espíndola, Buerki & Alvarez, 2012) and spiny frogs (Dicroglossidae, Anura, Amphibia; Che et al., 2010). Yet the present study further supplied some other indications. Primarily, although diversification of the newt group was promoted by the climatic shifts, several factors, for example, niche limits and their intrinsic low dispersal capacity, might have contributed to their Pleistocene rate-slowdown diversification. In addition, this study provided a putative “complete” species tree for Tylototriton s.l. to date. The inclusion of many putative cryptic species in the diversification analyses seems to be effective in finding diversification models of the group. But at present, wild populations of Tylototriton s.l. show a significant decline due to many reasons, such as climate changes, human capture and habitat deterioration. Further deep investigations of undetected cryptic lineages might supply the basic requirement for disclosing “true” diversification history of the taxa.

Bin Wang, Kanto Nishikawa, Masafumi Matsui, Truong Quang Nguyen, Feng Xie, Cheng Li, Janak Raj Khatiwada, Baowei Zhang, Dajie Gong, Yunming Mo, Gang Wei, Xiaohong Chen, Youhui Shen, Daode Yang, Rongchuan Xiong and Jianping Jiang​. 2018. Phylogenetic Surveys on the Newt Genus Tylototriton sensu lato (Salamandridae, Caudata) reveal Cryptic Diversity and Novel Diversification Promoted by Historical Climatic Shifts. PeerJ. 6:e4384.  DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4384

[Herpetology • 2017] Tylototriton anhuiensis • A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae) from the Southern Dabie Mountains in Anhui Province, China

 Tylototriton anhuiensis

Qian, Sun, Li, Guo, Pan, Kang, Wang, Jiang, Wu & Zhang, 2017

 Asian Herpetological Research. 8(3)  || ahr-journal.com 

Abstract 

A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described, from Yuexi county, Anhui province, in the south of the Dabie Mountains. It is based on morphological and molecular analysis. The new species is identified as belonging to the Tylototriton asperrimus group and shares a number of similarities with T. wenxianensis, T. broadoridgus and T. dabienicus. The diagnostic characteristics of the new species are as follows: the head length is greater than the width of the head; bony ridges on the head are prominent and necked-in; the distal digit ends, ventral digits, peripheral area of the cloaca and the tail’s lower edge are orange. The result from the molecular analysis of the genus Tylototriton (including the type specimen of the new species) based on three mitochondrial genes (ND1, ND2 and CYTB) indicated that the new species was close to T. wenxianensis, T. dabienicus, and T. broadoridgus, but formed an independent clade. This result was consistent with the morphological analysis above, which supports the theory that the population distributed in the south of the Dabie Mountains, namely in from Yuexi county, Anhui province, represented a distinct species, Tylototriton anhuiensis sp. nov.

Keywords: new species; Tylototriton anhuiensis sp. nov.; southern Dabie Mountains; taxonomy; morphology; molecular analyses

Figure 5 Photos of Tylototriton anhuiensis sp. nov..
(upper) Dorsal view of T. anhuiensis sp. nov.; (lower) dorsal view of the head and trunk. 

  

Tylototriton anhuiensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis: the new species has a series of morphological characteristics different from other members of the genus Tylototriton: 1) the head length is greater than the width of the head; 2) the bony ridges on the head are notable and necked-in; 3) the tail length is less than the snout-vent length; 4) the ventral tail fin fold extends to the cloacal posterior margin; 5) the distal digit ends, ventral digits, peripheral area of cloaca and the tail’s lower margin are orange; 6) relative length of toes: 3>4>2>5>1.

Etymology: the name of the new species is derived from its current distribution range in the southern Dabie Mountains in Anhui province. The suggested English name is the Anhui Knobby Newt.

Lifu Qian,  Xiaonan Sun, Jiaqi Li, Weibo Guo, Tao Pan, Xing Kang, Hui Wang, Jianping Jiang, Jun Wu and Baowei Zhang. 2017. A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae) from the Southern Dabie Mountains in Anhui Province. Asian Herpetological Research. 8(3); 151-164. ahr-journal.com/en/oa/DArticle.aspx?type=view&id=20170301

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