|
Description
Small-sized Tylototriton. Head broader than body and slightly sloping in profile. Snout short, truncate in dorsal view, rounded in profile and protruding beyond lower jaw. Nostrils close to snout tip. Upper lips thick, fleshy and overlapping lower lip under eye region. A low vertebral tubercular ridge, extending from top of head to base of tail. Two lateral rows of larger warts, extending from insertion of fore-arms to base of tail. Glands and warts relatively small, covering most of dorsal surfaces; venter almost smooth. Paratoids greatly enlarged, slightly projecting backwards. Gular fold absent. Fingers without webbing, toes with basal webbing. Tail laterally compressed; dorsal and ventral tail fin moderately developed; tail tip acuminate in profile. Tail longer than snout-vent length (Böhme et al., 2005).
Colour of dorsal and ventral surfaces greyish brown in animals caught in water; animals caught on land are much darker. Finger and toe tips orange-yellow. Tail brownish tan with ventral tail fin orange-yellow. Cloacal region bordered with orange-yellow (Böhme et al., 2005).
Total length 12 cm.
Diagnosis
Small-sized Tylototriton, with broad, flattened head and truncated snout. Paratoids large, elongated; dorsal skin covered with small warts and glands; three tubercular dorsal ridges; slightly flattened rib nodules. Colour of animals in water greyish tan or brownish. In external characters most similar to T. asperrimus, T. hainanensis and T. wenxianensis, but different from T. wenxianensis in lighter body colouration, truncated rather than rounded snout and more prominent dorso-lateral ridges. It differs from T. asperrimus in having lighter dorsal colour, less prominent rib nodules, truncated rather than rounded snout, and less prominent bony ridges on head. It differs from T. hainanensis by its smaller size, head-shape not wider than long, and snout truncated rather than rounded (Böhme et al., 2005).
Eggs and larvae
Eggs have not yet been described. Larvae of 45 mm length have been found in June-July in ponds in secondary forest. Larvae nearing metamorphosis have been found in October (Böhme et al. 2005).
Distribution
The species is known from four localities in northern and north-central Vietnam and may also occur in adjacent southern China and eastern Laos (Böhme et al., 2005). The precise boundary of the species’ distribution is unclear. Animals identified as T. asperrimus occur in the northern provinces of Vietnam (Bain & Nguyen, 2004).
Habitat
Tylototriton vietnamensis occurs in and near ponds within dense bamboo vegetation in secondary forest (Schöttler, 2003). The holotype was described from Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam, where it was found at an altitude of 250-300 m (Böhme et al., 2005).
Behaviour
The animals enter ponds for reproduction in the rainy season and leave the water before October. Reproductive behaviour has not yet been observed (Böhme et al., 2005).
Threats and conservation
No information available to date.
Observations in captivity
Tylototriton vietnamensis has been imported into Germany, but observations in captivity are still lacking.
Comments
The relationships with similar species (T. wenxianensis, T. hainanensis, T. asperrimus), are still unclear.
|
|
Tylototriton vietnamensis
© Henk Wallays
© 2004 IUCN, Conservation International and NatureServe. This map gives the range of T. asperrimus. Probably at least the southern part of the range in Vietnam is inhabited by Tylototriton vietnamensis. (click on map to enlarge)
|
