Description
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Vomerine teeth in continuous series lying parallel anteriorly and diverging posteriorly. Head bluntly oval. Crown of head flattened, depressed in frontal and interorbital areas. Sides of head with bony and glandular areas elevated to level of upper eyelid. From above, the body has two series of rounded knob-like tubercles. Tail compressed laterally, with a well-developed fin-fold. Skin of body and tail finely granular. From above, dark-brown and glands on sides of neck and dorso-lateral region lighter brown. The parotoids, caudal fin fold, and warts light, from light-brown to red-orange. Tail usually lighter than body. Chin, belly and sides nearly black.Recently it has been suggested that Tylototriton shanjing is a synonym for T. verrucosus, based on similarity in Cyt b (Zhang et al. 2007). However, only a single sample of T. verrucosus was analyzed, from China, and compared to thirty-nine samples of T. shanjing. No samples of T. verrucosus were analyzed from other parts of the range. In addition, T. shanjing was shown to breed true in captivity (Ziegler et al. 2008). Thus the decision to place T. shanjing in synonymy with T. verrucosus must be considered premature until further analysis is undertaken with more samples of T. verrucosus, from more locations. (For an English translation of Zhang et al., contact Jennifer Macke at jpmackeATcomcast.net)A molecular phylogenetic analysis of a population from Doi Chang, Chiang Rai Province, in Thailand found that there were cryptic clades nested within T. verrucosus from China. They also had morphological traits similar to T. verrucosus. These results lead to the confirmation of the existence of T. verrucosus in Thailand and the conclusion the habitats of T. verrucosus need to be protected by future conservation plans. (Pomchote et al 2020).
- Annandale, N. (1908). ''Breeding habits of Tylototriton verrucosus.'' Records of the Indian Museum, 2, 305-306.
- Chaudhuri, S.K. (1966). ''Studies on Tylototriton verrucosus (Himalayan Newt) found in Darjeeling.'' Journal of the Bengal Natural History Society, 35(1), 32-36.
- Dasgupta, R. (1984). ''Parental care in the Himalayan Newt.'' Journal of the Bengal Natural History Society, 3(2).
- Dasgupta, R. (1990). ''Distribution and conservation problems of the Himalayan Newt (Tylototriton verrucosus) in the Darjeeling Himalayas.'' Hamadryad, 15(1), 13-15.
- Dutta, S.K. (1990). Amphibians of India and Sri Lanka (Checklist and Bibliography). Odyssey Publishing House, Bhubaneswar.
- Kuzmin, S.L., Dasgupta, R. and Smirina, E.M. (1994). ''Ecology of the Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus) in Darjeeling Himalayas,India.'' Russian Journal of Herpetology, 1(1), 69-76.
- Pomchote, P., Khonsue, W., Sapewisut, P., Eto, K., & Nishikawa, K. (2020). Discovering a Population of Tylototriton verrucosus (Caudata: Salamandridae) from Thailand: Implications for Conservation. Tropical Natural History, 20(1), 1-15.
- Shrestha, T.K. (1989). ''Ecological aspects of the life-history of Himalayan Newt Tylototriton verrucosus (Anderson) with reference to conservation and management.'' Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 86(3), 333-338.
- Taylor, E.H. (1962). ''The amphibian fauna of Thailand.'' University of Kansas Scientific Bulletin, 43(8), 265-599.
- Thorn, Robert (1968). Les Salamandres d'Europe, d'Asie et d'Afrique du nord. Lechevalier, Paris.
- author
- Sergius L. Kuzmin
- author
- Michelle Koo
Distribution and Habitat
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The species is distributed in the hills and mountains of the Himalayan system in northeastern India (Sikkim and Darjeeling Districts), Bhutan, eastern Nepal, southern China (Yunnan Province), through northern Burma and northern Thailand to northern Vietnam. The species lives in various habitats, mainly in sites where mountain forests exist or previously existed, such as rice fields, tea gardens, meadows covering the shores of mountain ponds and lakes, forest edges, etc. Reproduction takes place in different water sources, from small rain puddles to permanent lakes.
- author
- Sergius L. Kuzmin
- author
- Michelle Koo
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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Although it is not usually common, its local abundance may be high, from 10 to 20 individuals per few acres of a lake. Reproduction starts soon after the newt emerges from hibernacula. In a large part of its range, reproduction coincides with the start of the monsoon season (late March to early April). Spawning occurs between March and May, and may continue throughout the rainy season (as late as September). In October, adults leave the water bodies, and courtship takes place during day and night. Eggs are laid onto submerged vegetation and on the bottom, rarely outside water. The clutch contains 26-60 eggs. Female parental care has been observed. Metamorphosis occurs between summer and autumn. Larvae are known to overwinter. The age of sexual maturation is around 3-5 years, and maximum longevity is 11 years. Larvae feed mainly on aquatic insects, and adults feed on insects, earthworms, etc. Predation of amphibian eggs and larvae, including cannibalism, is known.
- author
- Sergius L. Kuzmin
- author
- Michelle Koo
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
provided by AmphibiaWeb articles
No global or regional changes in the populations of T. verrucosus are known. However, in some places, such anthropogenic influences as planting of the exotic conifer Cryptomeria japonica, introduction of the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio), and destruction and pollution of natural ponds and lakes have had negative consequences.
- author
- Sergius L. Kuzmin
- author
- Michelle Koo
Relation to Humans
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This salamander occurs in agricultural lands, even in the neighborhood of human settlements, which creates a threat for its populations.
- author
- Sergius L. Kuzmin
- author
- Michelle Koo
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
provided by AnAge articles
Maximum longevity: 11 years (wild)
Observations: In the wild, these animals live up to 11 years (Smirina 1994). One animal lived nearly 10 years in captivity (Andrew Snider and J. Bowler 1992), so their longevity may be underestimated.
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- Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
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- de Magalhaes, J. P.
Tylototriton verrucosus
provided by wikipedia EN
Tylototriton verrucosus is a species of newt found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Common names include: Himalayan newt, crocodile newt, crocodile salamander, Himalayan salamander, red knobby newt.[1]
Description
This newt can reach a length of 20 cm. The tongue is small and is free on the sides and only slightly towards its base. The teeth on the palate are in two oblique rows that meet at the front of the mouth. The skull has a thick, bony fronto-squamosal arch, a feature of all salamanders.[2] They have five toes and the tail is flattened to aid swimming.[3]
The head is wide and the snout is short and the head has three prominent bony ridges with pores, one along the center and two along the back of the sides of the heads (the parietal ridge). There are no lobes on the lips. The body is 3 to 3.5 times as long as the head. There is no crest running along the dorsal midrib as in some newts but there is a prominent vertebral ridge with a series of knobs formed from the expansion of the neural processes of the dorsal vertebral bones. There is a series of 15 or 16 knob-like porous glands along the sides with the last three behind the leg. The legs are moderately long with the fingers and toes within webbing but are slightly flattened. The tail is at least as long as the head and body and is flattened to help in swimming. The tail has an upper and lower crest which meet at the tip of the tail. The anal opening is a longitudinal slit, and its borders are not raised. The skin is rough and the parotoid glands are large. There is a strong fold on the chin. The entire newt is uniformly blackish brown, slightly paler on the lips, snout, chin, throat, and under surface of limbs. The lower edge of the tail is orange-yellow.[3]
During the breeding season in May and June these behavioural differences between the sexes. Courtship and mating occur at night and as in many salamanders involves the male moving around it while bending, pushing and curving its tail.[4]
Diet
They feed on spiders, worms, millipedes, scorpions, molluscs and a range of insects.[5]
Range
T. verrucosus is found in mountains of Yunnan, Kakhyen Hills, Sikkim, Manipur and Northern Burma.[6] Preservation efforts are on in its habitat in Darjeeling (India), where it breeds in good numbers.[1] In Thailand, it is only known from Doi Chang in Chiang Rai Province.[7] Other populations in Northern and Northeastern Thailand, as well as populations in Laos and Vietnam, were described in 2013 and 2015 as the new species T. anguliceps, T. panhai and T. uyenoi.[8][9]
References
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- Wikipedia authors and editors
Tylototriton verrucosus: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Tylototriton verrucosus is a species of newt found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Common names include: Himalayan newt, crocodile newt, crocodile salamander, Himalayan salamander, red knobby newt.
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- cc-by-sa-3.0
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- Wikipedia authors and editors
