Thursday, March 21, 2013

[Herpetology • 2005] Tylototriton vietnamensis • A new species of salamander, genus Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae), from northern Vietnam


Tylototriton vietnamensis Böhme, Schöttler, Nguyen, & Köhler 2005

Abstract
 We describe a new species of Tylototriton from lowland forest of Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam. The new species is mainly characterized by skin covered with relatively small warts and glands, flattened head, dorsal colour uniformly greyish tan or light brownish in life without larger orange or red dorsal markings. The species presumably reproduces in forest ponds during the rainy season. Records of Tylototriton asperrimus from northern Vietnam are briefly discussed.

Key words. Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae: Tylototriton; new species; Vietnam.




Etymology: The new species is named after the country of its origin, Vietnam.

Distribution: So far, the new species is known from four localities in northern and north-central Vietnam (Fig. 5). Specimens from Nam Tha Commune, Van Ban District, Lao Cai Province (NGUYEN et al. 2005, T. SCHÖTTLER pers. obs.) exhibit some slight morphological differences and are here tentatively regarded as T. cf. vietnamensis (see discussion). Tylototriton vietnamensis probably also occurs in adjacent southern China and eastern Laos.


Böhme, W., Schöttler, T., Nguyen, T.Q. & Köhler, J. 2005. A new species of salamander, genus Tylototriton (Urodela: Salamandridae), from northern Vietnam. Salamandra. 41, 215–220.