The red-tailed knobby newt or Kweichow (crocodile) newt (''Tylototriton kweichowensis'') 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 found in western
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 ...
("Kweichow" being an old spelling of Guizhou) and north-eastern
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
,
China.
It is most closely related to
emperor newt (''Tylototriton shanjing'') and
Himalayan newt
''Tylototriton verrucosus'' is a species of newt found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Common names include: Himalayan newt, crocodile newt, crocodile salamander, Himalayan salamander, red knobby newt.
Description
This newt can ...
(''T. verrucosus'').
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Description
The red-tailed knobby newt is a relatively large, robust newt. Their total length is , females being larger than males. They live in small ponds, slowly flowing streams and surrounding shady and moist grassy slopes with many hiding places. Outside the reproductive season, they are rather terrestrial. The reproductive season is from early May to early July, coinciding with the rainy season.
Distribution
The red-tailed knobby newt has been recorded in Bijie, Dafang, Hezhang, Nayong, Shuicheng, Weining, and Zhijin counties of western Guizhou, and Yiliang and Yongshan counties in northeastern Yunnan (Zhao 1998).
Diet
The red-tailed knobby newt feeds on worms, insects, larva, and their smaller newts. They can ingest small frogs and small toads. In captivity they often eat wax worms, mealworms, crickets, and even small fish like guppies.
Captivity
In captivity they should have a 15-20 gallon tank for housing two or three newts. 5-10 gallon tank is best to house one newt. 40-60 gallon tank for housing 5 or six newts.
References
Tylototriton
Amphibians described in 1932
Amphibians of China
Endemic fauna of China
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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