Ziegler's crocodile newt

Tylototriton ziegleri, males

Tylototriton ziegleri is a newt from the kind of crocodile newts ( Tylototriton ).

Description

Tylototriton ziegleri is a medium -sized species of crocodile newts. The snout-vent length is 54.4 to 68.3 millimeters for the single female measured 70.8, in males. The skin is rough and granulated fine. On the head are pronounced bony bars. A further bar formed on the back, it extends in the longitudinal direction in the middle of the back and is conspicuous, and segmented. This strip forms a series of glands. The ribs nodes are striking. The limbs are long and thin. If the front and rear legs are pressed against the body, their ends overlap considerably. The tail is thin. The back is blackish, dyed the lighter underside. Bright orange are the ribs nodes fingers and toes as well as parts of the palm and sole. In addition, an equally bright orange tinted strip runs along underside of the body from rump to tip of tail.

Occurrence and life

Tylototriton ziegleri occurs in northern Vietnam in the provinces of Ha Giang and Cao Bang, possibly even in Lao Cai. The species is mainly terrestrial, meaning they live on land, and is therefore hard to find. Copies of Tylototriton ziegleri were found in permanent and in desiccating ponds, small wetlands and flooded areas along rivers. The breeding season is in April and May. Eggs are laid in 50 to 60 centimeters distance from the banks of the waters on the ground and not guarded by the parents. The hatchlings crawl into the water on rainy days. The metamorphosis of the larvae begins after July. The larvae do not overwinter.

System

Tylototriton ziegleri was first described in 2013 by Kanto Nishikawa, Masafumi Matsui and Tao Thien Nguyen. The species is named after Thomas Ziegler from Cologne Zoo, to honor him for his contributions to the understanding of the herpetofauna of Vietnam. Within the genus Tylototriton Tylototriton ziegleri is placed in the Tylototriton asperrimus group.

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