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Spotted paddle-tail newt | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Salamandridae |
Genus: | Pachytriton |
Species: | P. brevipes |
Binomial name | |
Pachytriton brevipes (Sauvage, 1876) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Cynops chinensisDavid, 1875 —homonym of Cynops chinensis Günther, 1859 Contents |
The spotted paddle-tail newt (Pachytriton brevipes) is an amphibian native to southeastern China; it was named in 1876. [2] A member of the family Salamandridae, it is closely related to the spotless paddle-tail newt (Pachytriton labiatus). The spotted paddle-tail newt lives in streams and is characterized by its long, paddle-shaped tail used for propulsion.
Pachytriton species are stout-bodied, smooth-skinned aquatic newts. Their heads are large and flattened, and they have conspicuous labial folds and short, stubby legs and toes. They breathe through both lungs and skin. P. brevipes ranges from 5.5 to 7.5 in as an adult. It has prominent labial folds, long digits, and smooth skin, which differs from the tuberculate skin typical of newts.
The head, back, and tail of P. brevipes range in color from light brown to a dark chocolate brown and are covered in dark spots. The underbelly color varies considerably, from a very light brown to a solid black. Breeding males may develop bluish-white spots on the tail.
Pachytriton spp. are known for their aggressive and territorial behavior, seen mainly in males, but occasionally in females, as well. P. brevipes is an aggressive hunter and feeder. It is carnivorous and will eat worms, insects, and small fish. The breeding behavior of P. brevipes is unknown.
Pachytriton brevipes is native to the freshwater streams of southeastern China, and it thrives in cool, clean water high in oxygen. Current distribution is shrinking, most likely due to pollution and human encroachment on habitat. It is almost exclusively aquatic, though it will leave the water if bullied by a more aggressive individual.
The smooth newt, European newt, northern smooth newt or common newt is a species of newt. It is widespread in Europe and parts of Asia, and has been introduced into Australia. Individuals are brown with a spotted underside that ranges in color from orange to white. They reach an average length of 8–11 cm (3.1–4.3 in); males are larger than females. The newts' skins are dry and velvety when they are living on land, but become smooth when they migrate into the water to breed. Males develop a more vivid colour pattern and a conspicuous skin seam (crest) on their back when breeding.
The palmate newt is a species of newt found in Western Europe, from Great Britain to the northern Iberian peninsula. It is 5–9.5 cm (2.0–3.7 in) long and olive or brown with some dark spots. The underside is yellow to orange, and the throat, unlike in the similar smooth newt, always unspotted. A dark stripe runs along the head and through the eyes. Breeding males develop a distinct filament on the end of their tail, strongly webbed hind feet, and a low, smooth crest on their back.
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to 16 cm (6.3 in) long. Its back and sides are dark brown, while the belly is yellow to orange with dark blotches. Males develop a conspicuous jagged crest on their back and tail during the breeding season.
The spotted turtle, the only species of the genus Clemmys, is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in) upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace, ranges in its exact colour from black to a bluish black with a number of tiny yellow round spots. The spotting patterning extends from the head, to the neck and out onto the limbs. Sexually mature males have a concave plastron and a long, thick tail. By contrast, sexually mature females possess a flat plastron and have a tail notable shorter and thinner than mature males. Mature males also have a dark iris and face; females typically have a yellow or orange iris and a similarly coloured face that is distinctly lighter than males. Juveniles appear female-like in this regard and at maturity males begin to develop darker features.
The sword-tail newt is a species of true salamander from the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. It has recently been placed on Japan's Red List of Threatened Amphibians. Sword-tail newts are poisonous, and may also be referred to as fire-bellied newts due to the orange coloration of their underside. They are not to be confused with the common Chinese and Japanese species. It is distinguished from these two species by their larger size, broader heads and smoother skin. Its coloration ranges from brown to black, occasionally with an orange dorsal stripe. Some individuals may have light spotting or speckling on their backs.
The eastern newt is a common newt of eastern North America. It frequents small lakes, ponds, and streams or nearby wet forests. The eastern newt produces tetrodotoxin, which makes the species unpalatable to predatory fish and crayfish. It has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and it may grow to 5 in (13 cm) in length. These animals are common aquarium pets, being either collected from the wild or sold commercially. The striking bright orange juvenile stage, which is land-dwelling, is known as a red eft. Some sources blend the general name of the species and that of the red-spotted newt subspecies into the eastern red-spotted newt.
The alpine newt is a species of newt native to continental Europe and introduced to Great Britain and New Zealand. Adults measure 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) and are usually dark grey to blue on the back and sides, with an orange belly and throat. Males are more conspicuously coloured than the drab females, especially during breeding season.
Paramesotriton labiatus is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with Paramesotriton chinensis, Pachytriton granulosus, or Paramesotriton ermizhaoi. This species has several vernacular names, including Unterstein's newt, spotless stout newt, spotless smooth warty newt, Zhao Ermi's smooth warty newt, and paddletail newt.
The Columbia spotted frog is a North American species of frog. It is green to brown in color with spots on the dorsal surface. The belly and upper lip are white in color. Individuals can be distinguished from other Rana species by their shorter back legs, narrow snout, and upturned eyes. Since they spend most of their time in the water, they also have more webbing in their hind feet than similar species. Although not threatened, this animal has been studied as a model species for the effects of habitat fragmentation.
Notophthalmus meridionalis, the black-spotted newt or Texas newt, is a species of aquatic newt native to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas in the United States.
The red-bellied newt is a newt that is native to coastal woodlands in northern California and is terrestrial for most of its life.
Dryophytes gratiosus, commonly known as the barking tree frog, is a species of tree frog endemic to the south-eastern United States.
The striped newt is a species of aquatic salamander native to the southeastern United States. It is a close relative of the eastern newt, with which it shares territory, and can be distinguished from the latter by the presence of red stripes running down the sides of its back and red spots on its back that lack a black outline.
The Corsican brook salamander or Corsican mountain newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Corsica, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Carpathian newt, or Montandon’s newt, is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
The red salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae endemic to the eastern United States. Its skin is orange/red with random black spots. Its habitats are temperate forests, small creeks, ponds, forests, temperate shrubland, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater, trees springs. Overall this species is common and widespread, but locally it has declined because of habitat loss and it is considered threatened in Indiana. Red salamanders eat insects, earthworms, spiders, small crustaceans, snails and smaller salamanders. The red salamander, as a member of the family Plethodontidae, lacks lungs and respires through its skin.
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats.
Pachytriton, also known as the paddle-tail newts or Chinese newts, is a genus of salamanders in the family Salamandridae. They are found in southeastern China.
Pachytriton inexpectatus is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to southern China and found in the Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces. Its type locality is Mount Dayao of Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi. Prior to naming of this species in 2011, it was confused with Pachytriton labiatus. It is one of the several species that can appear in the pet trade as paddletail newt. The specific name inexpectatus is Latin meaning "unexpected" and refers to finding a species that is common in pet trade but lacked formal scientific description. Common name Yaoshan stout newt has been coined specifically for this species.