Genus account
Paramesotriton Chang, 1935
Newts of the genus Paramesotriton resemble Cynops , but are generally larger. All species have a rough skin and a prominent vertebral ridge, often with a lateral ridge along each side of their back. The parietal ridges of the skull are prominent and the tail is high and laterally compressed. Several morphological characters distinguish P. caudopunctatus from the other species of Paramesotriton (Bischoff & Böhme, 1980; Sparreboom, 1981; Freytag, 1983). This species is less robust, and its skull is longer and narrower compared to the broader skulls of the other species of Paramesotriton. The monophyletic relationship of five species, with P. caudopunctatus as the most basal species of the group, was confirmed in molecular studies (Pang et al., 1992; Chan et al., 2001; Lu et al., 2004; Weisrock et al., 2006).
Paramesotriton caudopunctatus (Liu & Hu, 1973)
Paramesotriton chinensis (Gray, 1859)
Paramesotriton deloustali (Bourret, 1934)
Paramesotriton ermizhaoi Wu, Rovito, Papenfuss & Hanken, 2009
Paramesotriton fuzhongensis Wen, 1989
Paramesotriton guanxiensis (Huang, Tang & Tang, 1983)
Paramesotriton hongkongensis (Myers & Leviton, 1962)
Paramesotriton longliensis Li, Tian, Gu & Xiong, 2008
Paramesotriton yunwuensis Wu, Jiang & Hanken, 2010
Paramesotriton zhijinensis Li, Tian & Gu, 2008
References
Bischoff, W. & Böhme, W., (1980). 'Zur Kenntnis von Paramesotriton caudopunctatus (Hu, Djao & Liu, 1973) n. comb. (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae).' Salamandra, 16: 137-148.
Chan, L.M., Zamudio, K.R. & Wake, D.B., (2001). 'Relationships of the Salamandrid Genera Paramesotriton, Pachytriton, and Cynops Based on Mitochondrial DNA Sequences.' Copeia, 2001: 997-1009.
Freytag, G.E., (1983). 'Zur systematischen Stellung von Trituroides caudopunctatus Liu & Hu, 1973. Morphometrische und röntgenanatomische Befunde (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae).' Zool. Abh. Staatl. Mus. Tierk. Dresden, 39: 39-49.
Lu, S., Yuan, Z.-G., Pang, J., Yang, D., Yu, F., McGuire, P., Xie, F. & Zhang, Y.-P., (2004). 'Molecular Phylogeny of the Genus Paramesotriton (Caudata: Salamandridae).' Biochemical Genetics, 42: 139-148.
Pang, J., Jiang, Y. & Hu, Q., (1992). 'Systematic Study on Chinese Newt, Genus Paramesotriton (Caudata: Salamandridae).' Pp. 89-100 in: Collected Papers in Herpetology. Yang, Y. (ed.). Sichuan Publishing House of Science and Technology, Chengdu, China (in Chinese, with English summary).
Sparreboom, M., (1981). 'Een onbekende salamander uit China: Paramesotriton caudopunctatus.' Lacerta, 39: 102-108.
Weisrock, D.W., Papenfuss, T.J., Macey, J.R., Litvinchuk, S.N., Polymeni, R., Ugurtas, I.H., Zhao, E., Jowkar, H. & Larson, A., (2006). 'A Molecular Assessment of Phylogenetic Relationships and Lineage Accumulation Rates within the Family Salamandridae (Amphibia, Caudata).' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 41: 368-383.
Friday, April 1, 2011