''Paramesotriton maolanensis'' is a species of
salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
in the family
Salamandridae. It is known only from Maolan National Nature Reserve in
Libo County
Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Geography
The county is located in the remote southeastern corner ...
, southern
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
, China.
[ It is a relatively large member of its genus, reaching a total length of about . All know specimens were collected from a deep pool, but the species probably lives in underground rivers too, that is, it is ]stygobitic
Stygofauna are any fauna that live in groundwater systems or aquifers, such as caves, fissures and vugs. Stygofauna and troglofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environme ...
.
Description
Adult males in the type series
In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes t ...
(three specimens) measure in snout–vent length and in total length. Adult females in the type series (two specimens only) measure in snout–vent length and in total length; at the time of description, it was the largest member of its genus. The eyes are reduced, possibly not functional in image forming. The head is elongated with a short, truncated snout. Skin is relatively smooth. The body is dorsally brown-black. There is a tubercular dorsal ridge that has non-continuous yellow mottling. The venter has large, irregular orange-red spots.
Habitat and conservation
The type series was collected from a large, deep pool surrounded by lush vegetation. The pool is located at above sea level in a karst landscape. The pool is fed by two surface streams, but it is probably drained by an underground stream that keeps the water level constant. Reduced eyes of this species suggest that it lives in the underground streams.[ The type locality is within a national nature reserve.]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3363514
maolanensis
Amphibians of China
Endemic fauna of China
Cave salamanders
Amphibians described in 2012