Tylototriton panhai, Nishikawa, Kanto, Khonsue, Wichase, Pomchote, Porrawee & Matsui, Masafumi, 2013

Nishikawa, Kanto, Khonsue, Wichase, Pomchote, Porrawee & Matsui, Masafumi, 2013, Two new species of Tylototriton from Thailand (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae), Zootaxa 3737 (3), pp. 261-279 : 275-276

Tylototriton panhai sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 C, 6C, D, H, and K)

Tylototriton verrucosus: Wongratana (1984) : 107;

Tylototriton verrucosus Type II: Pomchote et al. (2008): 39.

Identity: This species corresponds to the Group 3 ( T. shanjing Lineage 6 in molecular analyses).

Holotype: THNHM 2800, an adult female from Phu Ruea, Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei Province, Thailand (17 r 29’59’’ N, 101 r 20’30’’ E, 1183 m asl), collected on 25 May 1998 by Tanya Chan-ard.

Etymology: The specific epithet is dedicated to Prof. Somsak Panha (Chulalongkorn University), who is an active naturalist and helped our field surveys.

Diagnosis: The new species is placed in the genus Tylototriton by having the combination of: dorsal warts present; dorsolateral bony ridges on head present; knob-like warts on dorsolateral body present,; quadrate spine absent. A medium-sized Tylototriton ; skin rough with fine granules; dorsolateral bony ridges on head wide; vertebral ridge distinct and not segmented; rib nodules prominent and large; limbs long and thin; tips of forelimbs and hindlimbs greatly overlapping when adpressed along body; tail thin; dorsal head, upper and lower lips, parotoids, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, tips of fingers and toes, margin of vent slit, and dorsal and ventral edges of tail yellow, orange, to reddish brown.

Description of holotype: Body moderately stout; skin rough; fine granules dense on dorsum, arranged in transverse striations on mid ventrum, and small and sparse on throat; head longer than wide, hexagonal in shape, depressed and slightly oblique in profile; snout short, truncate, slightly beyond lower jaw; nostril close to snout tip; dorsolateral bony ridges on head prominent, wide, moderately protruding, and slightly rough, from above eye to above anterior end of parotoid, posterior ends slightly scrolled proximally; middorsal ridge on head absent; labial fold absent; skull wide and hexagonal, dorsolateral crests moderate and wide, middorsal crest absent; maxillary connecting with quadrate, but slightly separated from pterygoid; front-squamosal arch robust and wide; vomerine tooth series in an inverted V-shape, converging anteriorly and not reaching posterior end of choana; tongue oval and attached to mouth floor but free laterally and posteriorly; parotoid large, protruding dorsolaterally and posteriorly; gular fold present; costal folds absent; vertebral ridge prominent and smooth, from neck to base of tail; rib nodules distinct and large except for the anteriormost one on right side, forming knob-like warts, 14 on both sides of body from axilla to base of tail; rib nodules slightly increasing in size from most anterior to fourth or fifth nodule, then decreasing posteriorly; tips of fore- and hindlimbs overlapping when adpressed along body (longest toe reaching distal part of palm); number of trunk vertebrae 14; fingers and toes free of webbing; tail laterally compressed, dorsal fin more distinct posteriorly, ventral edge smooth, tip pointed; numbers of upper jaw teeth 80, lower jaw teeth 81, and vomerine teeth 66.

Measurements of holotype (in mm): SVL 71.6; HL 17.6; HW 16.9; MXHW 18.9; SL 7.4; LJL 13.8; ENL 3.9; IND 5.4; IOD 7.6; UEW 2.5; UEL 4.1; OL 2.9; AGD 36.5; TRL 54.0; TAL 63.3; VL 3.0; BTAW 5.9; MTAW 3.9; BTAH 8.9; MXTAH 9.0; MTAH 7.6; FLL 20.2; HLL 22.4; 2FL 3.2; 3FL 3.5; 3TL 6.0; 5TL 2.7; VTW 4.0; VTL 6.8.

Color: In life, dorsum ground color dark brown; venter slightly lighter than dorsum; anterior half of head, parotoids, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, tips of fingers and toes, margin of vent slit, and dorsal and ventral edges of tail yellow, orange, to reddish brown (based on the unvouchered samples whose tail tips were used for DNA analysis). In preservative, dorsal coloration tending to fade, becoming light brown and orange to brown markings fading to cream (the holotype).

Variation: Our field observation found a variation in color of markings, from yellow, dark orange, to reddish brown, and in size of rib nodules. Individuals from Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, Phitsanulok Province have dark reddish brown markings, and those from Phu Suan Sai National Park, Loei Province have smaller nodules than the holotype.

Egg: The mean diameter of ripe ova in right ovary that could be measured by a minor dissection of the holotype ranged from 1.5 to 2.7 mm (n=7, gross mean= 2.1 mm). The clutch size is unknown. The animal pole is dark brown and the remaining area is dark cream in color.

Comparisons: Tylototriton panhai (the Group 3 [ T. shanjing Lineage 6]) is a member of the subgenus Yaotriton based on the molecular phylogeny, and differs from all other species of the subgenus by having distinct yellow to reddish brown markings on head, trunk, and tail edges (vs. having black body except for tips of fingers and toes, margin of vent, and ventral edge of tail in all other species of Yaotriton). The species looks similar to most of the species of the subgenus Tylototriton , especially T. pseudoverrucosus , T. shanjing , T. uyenoi (the Group 2 [ T. shanjing Lineage 4]), and T. v. pulcherrima , however differs by having widely developed dorsolateral bony ridges on head, black limbs and tail except for ridges (vs. less developed dorsolateral bony ridges on head, yellow or orange limbs and whole tail in T. pseudoverrucosus [data of T. pseudoverrucosus are taken from Hou et al. 2012], T. shanjing , T. uyenoi , and T. v. pulcherrima ). The species differs from the remaining species of the subgenus Tylototriton in the following way: from T. daweishanensis by having distinct yellow to reddish brown markings on head, trunk, and tail edges (vs. having black body except for tips of fingers and toes, margin of vent, and ventral edge of tail in T. daweishanensis [data are taken from Zhao et al. 2012]), from T. kweichowensis and T. taliangensis by having isolated rib nodules (vs. connected nodules forming dorsolateral rides on body in T. kweichowensis and T. taliangensis ), from T. kweichowensis and T. yangi by having colored anterior half of head (vs. black head except for posterior parotoids and jaw angles in T. kweichowensis and T. yangi ), and from T. v. verrucosus by having colored markings (vs. black body in T. v. verrucosus [data of T. v. verrucosus are taken from Anderson 1871]).

Range: Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, Phitsanulok Province, and Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary and Phu Suan Sai National Park, Loei Province, Thailand. The locality in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park is the southernmost record in the genus Tylototriton .

Natural history: The species was first reported by Wongratana (1984), which was collected walking on an elephant trail at foggy morning. The habitat is moist forest with bamboo bushes and variety of water bodies like temporal pools by rain, and streams. Eggs are found as attached on wet grass or plant overhanging the water surface or under wood debris on land near small streams or ponds. In the breeding season from May to July, the adults were found in the water bodies. Out of the breeding season, the species is probably terrestrial and difficult to encounter.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photos of the three groups of Tylototriton shanjing from Thailand. A: a subadult of unknown sex of Group 1 (T. shanjing Lineage 5 in molecular phylogeny: see Fig. 3) from Doi Lahnga, Chiang Rai Province; B: an adult male of Group 2 (T. shanjing Lineage 4) from Doi Inthanon, Chinag Mai Province; C: an adult female of Group 3 (T. shanjing Lineage 6) from Phu Luang, Loei Province. Tips of tails of these individuals except for the one from Doi Inthanon were used in the molecular analysis. All of these individuals were released without being deposited as voucher specimens.