AmphibiaChina 中国两栖类.

Conservation Status (definitions)

IUCN Red List Status Account CITES No CITES Listing National Status None Regional Status None

Description
Tylototriton daloushanensis is a Chinese newt that has a snout-vent length range of 64.7 - 83.6 mm in males and 70.5 - 100.3 mm in females. They have a total length of 124.1 - 147.3 mm in males and 133.8 - 209.5 mm in females. The head of the newt is longer than it is wide, is slightly concave at the top, and sports clearly visible bony supratemporal ridges that extend from the rostral region and over the upper eyelid. From the dorsal view, the snout is rounded. The nares are close to the snout. The internarial distance is smaller than the interorbital distance. The eyes protrude and the eyelids are oval and slightly concave. A distinct, low, flat V-shaped bony ridge that is not connected to the dorsal ridge of the body is also present on the head. The gular fold is easily visible. The body is stout, rounded, and rough - covered in tubercles and warts. However, the margin of the lip, and the distal and ventral surfaces of the limb, and ventral surface of the tail are relatively smooth. There are warts surrounding the cloaca. The rib nodules are slightly flattened and not separated, forming a continuous longitudinal row. A slightly segmented vertebral ridge is present. In both males and females, the tail length is shorter than the snout-vent length. When the forelimbs are adpressed forwards against the body of the animal, the fingertips reach between the eyes and nostrils. When both the fore- and hind limbs are adpressed towards one another on the midsection of the animal’s body there is significant overlap between the distal tips of the limbs. The longest toes is the third with the comparative length of toes being III > IV > II > I > V. The tail is laterally compressed (Luo et al. 2022). For more description, please see Luo et al. 2022.

DIAGNOSIS:

Tylototriton daloushanensis was previously confused with T. asperrimus and T. wenxianensis, however, molecular evidence suggests its more closely related to T. anhuiensis, T. broadoridgus, T. dabienicus, and T. maolanensis. Tylototriton daloushanensis can be differentiated from T. asperrimus by a head that is longer than wide, longer limbs, a longer fifth than first toe, and flattened and connected rib nodules in T. daloushanensis. The presences of a gular fold, longer limbs, a longer fifth than first toe in T. daloushanensis differentiates it from T. wenxianensis. Tylototriton anhuiensis, T. broadoridgus, and T. dabienicus can be distinguished by bony ridges on the head and a longer fifth than first toe in T. daloushanensis. A rounded snout in T. daloushanensis further distinguishes from T. broadoridgus, and T. maolanensis. Tylototriton daloushanensis has longer limbs than T. anhuiensis, and T. dabienicus, and shorter limbs than T. maolanensis (Luo et al. 2022). Please see Luo et al. (2022) for more details.

COLORATION:

In life, the vast majority of the body is black in color with the exception of the bright orange regions of the head, palms and soles, cloacal stripe, and ventral tail stripe. Orange markings are noticeably absent on the posterior parotoids and rib nodules. In preservation, the black coloration fades to black brown and the orange fades to creamy yellow (Luo et al. 2022).

VARIATION:

There is variation in relative tail length with some individuals having a tail that is shorter, longer, or equal to the snout-vent length. There is also some slight sexual dimorphism. Females may have a cloacal peripheral area that is the same color as the rest of the body, or a light bronze-orange band. Additionally, males have a longer, uplifted cloaca with small papillae on the inner wall while female cloacas are small with no papillae (Luo et al. 2022).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: China

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Tylototriton daloushanensis can be found within the Huoqiuba Nature Reserve, Suiyang, Guizhou, China, as well as the Kuankuoshui National Nature Reserve, Suiyang, Guizhou, China at elevations ranging from 900 m to 1600 m. The forest T. daloushanensis is found in is a karst ecoystem (Luo et al. 2022).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Specimens were collected in still ponds within mostly undisturbed bamboo forests with the bottom covered in detritus or humus. The surrounding environments include grasses and kudzu (vines) in addition to tall broadleaf forests (Luo et al. 2022).

The breeding season is believed to range from June to September. This is supported by a specimen found in June laying 39 eggs after collection (Luo et al. 2022).

Tylototriton daloushanensis can be found in sympatry with Boulenophrys jiangi, Leptobrachella suiyangensis, Odorrana kweichowensis, Odorrana margaretae, Odorrana yizhangensis, Panophrys qianbeiensis, Quasipaa spinosa, Rana omeimontis and Zhangixalus chenfui (Luo et al. 2022).

Trends and Threats
Tylototriton daloushanensis is one of the few Tylototritons known to live in a karst forest ecosystem. Their dependence on aquatic environments and poor dispersal ability can decrease gene flow and the species may be threatened by global warming, intense anthropogenic disturbance, and rock desertification (Luo et al. 2022).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Climate change, increased UVB or increased sensitivity to it, etc.

Comments

PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS:

Based on morphological and phylogenetic (Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood) analyses on 16S and ND2 mtDNA, T. daloushanensis was placed in the T. wenxianesis species group within the subgenus Yaotriton. More specifically, it is sister to the clade composed of T. anhuiensis, T. broadoridgus, T. dabienicus, and T. maolanensis. Morphological characteristics that contributed to this assignment include: almost black body minus orange cranial region, bottoms of hands and feet, vent region, ventral tail stripe; a head that is longer than it is wide; presence of tubercles on dorsal and ventral surfaces almost equal sizing; transverse wrinkles absent on ventral skin; and interspaces between rib nodules are indistinct (Luo et al. 2022).

ETYMOLOGY:

The species epithet, “daloushanensis,” is a reference to the location in which the species is found, Mt. Dalou in Guizhou Province, China (Luo et al. 2022).

References

Luo, T., Yan, S., Xiao, N., Li, W., Deng, H., Zhou, J. (2022). “A new species of the genus Tylototriton (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae) from the Eastern Dalou Mountains in Guizhou, China.” Zoological Systematics. Beijing 47 [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2022 Tylototriton daloushanensis: Mt. Dalou’s Knobby Newt <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/9535> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 21, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 21 Nov 2024.

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