''Paramesotriton'', also known as warty newts or Asian warty newts, is a genus 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 ten ...

s in the family

Salamandridae Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is v ...

. The genus is found in southwestern and southern China and in northern Vietnam. Most of the species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to China, and the majority of them have been described recently, since 2008. The genus includes both pond and stream dwellers.

Taxonomy and systematics

The

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

of ''Paramesotriton'' is ''

Laotriton The Laos warty newt (''Laotriton laoensis'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found only in the Saysomboun Special Zone and Phou Kout District in Xiangkhouang Province, Laos. Its natural habitats are subtropical o ...

''. The genus may be divided into two species groups (

subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

), ''Paramesotriton'' and ''Allomesotriton''.

Description

''Paramesotriton'' have a dark brown dorsum with a prominent vertebral ridge, often also a pair of lateral ridges. The tail is high and laterally compressed. Skin texture varies from relatively smooth to very rough. ''

Paramesotriton hongkongensis The Hong Kong warty newt or Hong Kong newt (''Paramesotriton hongkongensis'', see alsthe synonyms is a species of salamander found in Hong Kong. Once thought to be endemic to the territory, the species has also been found in the coastal parts of ...

'' has toxic skin and ova, as has been shown for many other salamanders.

Species

''Paramesotriton'' contains the following 14 species: * ''

Paramesotriton aurantius ''Paramesotriton'', also known as warty newts or Asian warty newts, is a genus of salamanders in the family Salamandridae. The genus is found in southwestern and southern China and in northern Vietnam. Most of the species are endemic to China, a ...

'' Yuan, Wu, Zhou, and Che, 2016 * '' Paramesotriton caudopunctatus'' (Liu and Hu, 1973) — spot-tailed warty newt * ''

Paramesotriton chinensis The Chinese warty newt (''Paramesotriton chinensis'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found only in China, with a range extending from Chongqing to Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi Provinces ...

'' (Gray, 1859) —

Chinese warty newt The Chinese warty newt (''Paramesotriton chinensis'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found only in China, with a range extending from Chongqing to Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi Provinces ...

* '' Paramesotriton deloustali'' (Bourret, 1934) —

Tam Dao salamander The Tam Dao salamander or Vietnamese salamander (''Paramesotriton deloustali'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or t ...

, Vietnamese salamander * '' Paramesotriton fuzhongensis'' Wen, 1989 — Wanggao warty newt * '' Paramesotriton guangxiensis'' (Huang, Tang, and Tang, 1983) — Guangxi warty newt * ''

'' (Myers and Leviton, 1962) —

Hong Kong warty newt The Hong Kong warty newt or Hong Kong newt (''Paramesotriton hongkongensis'', see alsthe synonyms is a species of salamander found in Hong Kong. Once thought to be endemic to the territory, the species has also been found in the coastal parts of ...

, Hong Kong newt * ''

Paramesotriton labiatus ''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 ...

'' (Unterstein, 1930) * '' Paramesotriton longliensis'' Li, Tian, Gu, and Xiong, 2008 * ''

Paramesotriton maolanensis ''Paramesotriton maolanensis'' is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is known only from Maolan National Nature Reserve in Libo County, southern Guizhou, China. It is a relatively large member of its genus, reaching a total l ...

'' Gu, Chen, Tian, Li, and Ran, 2012 * ''

Paramesotriton qixilingensis ''Paramesotriton'', also known as warty newts or Asian warty newts, is a genus of salamanders in the family Salamandridae. The genus is found in southwestern and southern China and in northern Vietnam. Most of the species are endemic to China, a ...

'' Yan, Zhao, Jiang, Hou, He, Murphy, and Che, 2014 * ''

Paramesotriton wulingensis ''Paramesotriton'', also known as warty newts or Asian warty newts, is a genus of salamanders in the family Salamandridae. The genus is found in southwestern and southern China and in northern Vietnam. Most of the species are endemic to China, a ...

'' Wang, Tian, and Gu, 2013 * ''

Paramesotriton yunwuensis ''Paramesotriton yunwuensis'' is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to the Yunwu Mountains in Guangdong, southern China. Its type locality is near Nanchong village, Fuhe, Luoding Luoding, alternately romaniz ...

'' Wu, Jiang, and Hanken, 2010 * ''

Paramesotriton zhijinensis ''Paramesotriton zhijinensis'' is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found only in Shuangyan Pond (26°40’N 105°46’ E), 1310 m, Zhijin County, Guizhou Province, People's Republic of China China, officially t ...

'' Li, Tian, and Gu, 2008 — Zhijin warty newt

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2468331 Amphibian genera Amphibians of Asia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot