Kweichow Crocodile Newt

Tylototriton kweichowensis measures up to 160 mm in total length for males, with females measuring up to 190 mm. The tail is 75% of SVL in males and 73% in females. Head is triangular in shape and relatively flat with the crown depressed in frontal and interorbital areas. Areas just above and behind the eyes on the sides of the head are elevated. Large parotoid glands. Nostrils are small and located near the snout, separated by ½ of the interorbital distance. Snout rounded. Two long, slanted, rows of vomerine teeth are present in / orientation, meeting near the inner nasal bone. Body robust. Skin finely granular. On the dorsum, large grainy tubercles are present, with the tubercles more densely packed along three evenly spaced strips, running from head to tail dorsally and on either side dorsolaterally. Venter is less granular. Limbs stubby and short, with toes touching when limbs are adpressed to the flank. There are four unwebbed toes on each forelimb and five unwebbed toes on each hindlimb, and the tips of toes are rounded. Cross-section of tail is round near the body, but mostly compressed laterally as the tail stretches out. A tailfin fold is apparent, reaching its tallest point near the middle of the tail. The male is slenderer (Datong and Dingqi 2008; Raffaëlli 2007). Individuals vary in coloration. The parotoid glands, tips of toes, tail, and bumpy strips are red or orange in some animals (Datong and Dingqi 2008).This species is very similar in appearance to T. shanjing. In T. kweichowensis the dorsolateral tubercles are square and tend to be fused or only narrowly separated; on the head only the parotoid region is orange-red. In T. shanjing dorsolateral tubercles are rounded and widely separated; on the head, orange pigment is visible on the dorsal and ventral surfaces (Ziegler et al. 2008).

This species occurs in China, in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. It is more abundant in Guizhou. Tylototriton kweichowensis lives in montane creeks, ponds, and nearby bushy areas, at elevations ranging from 1500 - 2000 m above sea level. While in water, it usually hides under rotten wood and leaves (Datong and Dingqi 2008).

This species becomes more active after rain (Datong and Dingqi 2008).

The habitat is threatened by mining activity and the construction of brickyards (Raffaëlli 2007).