Tylototriton gaowangjienensis J. Huang, Y. Xiang, Y.-X. Zhang, T . Wu & W.-S. Jiang

Huang, Jie, Xiang, Ying, Wu, Tao, Zhang, You-Xiang, Zhang, Zi-Liang, Wang, Ben-Zhong, Lan, Xiang-Ying, Huang, Yu-Ping, Jiang, Hui-Juan & Jiang, Wan-Sheng, 2024, Description of a new species of the Asian newt genus Tylototriton (Amphibia, Urodela, Salamandridae) from Hunan Province, China, Herpetozoa 37, pp. 327-338 : 327-338

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/herpetozoa.37.e135222
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2A701CE2-A39E-4462-AA48-A5421A703816
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14014206
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/15A7EEED-B7DA-4C27-BA9F-CE0C53491BA2
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:15A7EEED-B7DA-4C27-BA9F-CE0C53491BA2
treatment provided by	Herpetozoa by Pensoft
scientific name	Tylototriton gaowangjienensis J. Huang, Y. Xiang, Y.-X. Zhang, T . Wu & W.-S. Jiang
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Tylototriton gaowangjienensis J. Huang, Y. Xiang, Y.-X. Zhang, T. Wu & W.-S. Jiang sp. nov.

Fig. 2 View Figure 2

Type materials.

Holotype • 2021051701 , adult, male; China, Hunan Province, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guzhang County, Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve ; 28 ° 40 ' 39.80 " N, 110 ° 07 ' 8.54 " E, alt. 677 m; collected on 17 May, 2023 by You-Xiang Zhang GoogleMaps . Allotype • 2021051702 , adult, female; same locality and date as holotype GoogleMaps . Paratypes • 2021051703 ~ 2021051704 , adult, male, 2021051705 ~ 2021051706 , adult, female; same locality and date as holotype GoogleMaps .

Etymology.

The new species is named after its type locality. We suggest the Chinese name “ 高望界疣螈 ” (pinyin: Gāo Wàng Jiè Yóu Yuán), and the English name Gaowangjie crocodile newt.

Diagnosis.

The new species can be distinguished from other members of Tylototriton by the following combination of characteristics: (1) medium-sized body; (2) finger tips extending beyond the snout while forelimbs stretched forward; (3) tips of forelimbs and hindlimbs reaching and overlapping when folded towards the body; (4) snout edge round; (5) absence of small papillae in the male cloacal fissure; (6) dorsal ridges narrow, with width smaller than the eye diameter; (7) head length ( HDL) greater than head width ( HDW) ( HDL / HDW = 1.04 ~ 1.22); (8) orange markings absence on the parotoid; (9) nodule-like warts on body sides continuous; (10) vomerine teeth not connected at the tip, extending to the occipital bone at the posterior end.

Description of holotype

(Table 2 View Table 2 , Figs 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 ). Adult male, medium-sized, measures 123.69 mm TL, 67.20 mm SVL, and 56.06 mm TAL. Head length greater than head width ( HDL / HDW = 1.13). Snout short and blunt, longer than eye diameter, extends beyond lower lip from dorsal view. Eyes relatively large (3.8 mm), laterally oriented but visible in dorsal view, with nearly round eyelids. Mouth crack straight, exceeds half head, extending to posterior eyelids; jawbone with teeth. Vomerine teeth arranged linearly in “ ˄ ” shape, separated at anterior end, located between choanas, extending to posterior edge of orbit. Tongue oval-shaped, slightly concave in center, with bottom fixed and side edges free. Head ridges prominent, extending from snout to back head, forming longitudinal approximation “ п ” shape. Bone ridges form weak “ v ” shape at head; edge relatively smooth, and basically connected to middle ridge.

Skin rough, small granules present on dorsal surfaces of head and dorsum, lateral sides of body and tail. On both sides of the trunk, a row of rib nodules composed of numerous slightly thick warts, slightly protruding outward but relatively flat; the labial margin, distal limbs, ventral limbs and the ventral edge of the tail smooth. Limbs relatively slender, with the hind limbs slightly longer than the forelimbs; tips of forelimbs and hindlimbs reached and overlapped when folding towards; finger tips extending beyond the snout while forelimbs stretched forward. Four fingers, comparative finger length: III> II> IV> I; five toes, comparative toes length: III> IV> II> V > I; all fingers and toes slightly flattened, with blunt ends and no fins.

The tail height exceeds the width at the tail base, with thin and lower dorsal fin folds. Caudal dorsal fin originates from the upper middle section of the tail, connected to the middle ridge of the back, without obvious segmentation. Ventral tail fin folds short and thick, starting from the tail base, with a small gap from the cloacal fissure’s posterior edge. Cloacal region notably swollen, vent as longitudinal slit. Skin mostly black or dark gray. Ventral surface, distal ends of digits, peripheral area of cloaca, and ventral edge of tail orange-red; the orange-red region between tail’s ventral edge and cloaca’s periphery connected. After alcohol preservation, orange-red fades to milky white.

Description of skull

(Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). Back of the skull rough, covered with numerous sculpture-shaped ridges. Skull wider than length, with obvious globular protrusions at the lateral posterior side of the squamosal. Square protrusions evident on the posterior lateral side of squamosal, extending to the base of the forelimbs. Ventral surface of the skull “ ˄ ” shaped. Left and right dentitions extend posteriorly along the inner wall of the eye socket to the base of the orbit and reach the occipital bone.

Secondary sexual characteristics and reproduction

(Figs 3 View Figure 3 , 6 View Figure 6 ). There was a remarkable difference in appearance between sexually mature females and males during the reproductive period: females exhibited a relatively thicker body compared to males, with a particularly prominent abdomen. In females, the cloacal fissure in the cloaca was short but significantly expanded outward, and the grooves on the inner wall protruded radially from the center to the surrounding areas. In contrast, males had a relatively long cloacal fissure but with moderate protrusion, smooth folds, and no grooves, which were less remarkable than those in females. However, both males and females showed no papilla within their cloacal fissures during the reproductive period.

The breeding season of T. gaowangjienensis lasted from April to June, with a peak period from late April to early May. In late March, the population gradually ended hibernation, and in early April, the males began to migrate to the breeding ground, usually pools or shallow waters, to await breeding opportunities. The females then entered the breeding ground about a week later. In late May, the females usually left the breeding ground after laying eggs, showing no protective behavior. After the females laid eggs and left, the males still stayed in the breeding ground for a period of time, and then left in mid to early June. With that, the breeding season ended, and the newts returned to a terrestrial preferred life in the forest.

Description of larva

(Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ). The juvenile’s body is slender. Head length exceeds width. Eyes are large, rounded, laterally oriented but still visible in dorsal view. The front end of the three outer gills is obtuse. Skin is smooth, fingers and toes are light yellow, body color ranges from light black to brown. Dorsal fin folds are relatively high, occurring from about 35 % of the total body length. Ventral fin folds are short and thick, extending from the cloaca to the end of the tail.

Distribution and habits

(Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 6 View Figure 6 ). T. gaowangjienensis is only known from Gaowangjie National Nature Reserve, Hunan Province, China. It was primarily distributed in natural broad-leaved or coniferous broad-leaved mixed forests at altitudes of 500–700 meters. During the breeding season, the habitats featured water and could be categorized into three types: seasonal roadside ponds, small creek ponds, and rice fields. The main vegetation types in the breeding areas were evergreen broad-leaved forests, evergreen coniferous broad-leaved mixed forests, and bamboo forests. The environment was lush with high humidity, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and humus.