Anderson's crocodile newt, Anderson's newt, Ryukyu spiny newt, or Japanese warty newt (''Echinotriton andersoni'') 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 Salamandridae is a Family (biology), 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 ski ...

found in the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and, at least formerly, Mount Guanyin in northern

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, where it is now believed to be extinct.

Description

''Echinotriton andersoni'' is a stout, flat salamander. Head is broad and triangular in shape. There are 12–15 conspicuous knob-like lateral glands. Colouration is uniformly dark brown or black, only the underside of the tail, cloacal region, and the soles of the feet are yellow-orange. The maximum size is at least in snout–vent length and in total length.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are broad-leaved evergreen forests, secondary forests, grasslands and swamps. It has also been found in and near sugar cane fields. It breeds in standing water such as ponds and temporary pools; outside breeding season it is difficult to observe as adult salamanders live in leaf litter, in rocky crevices, and under rocks and logs. ''Echinotriton andersoni'' is uncommon, and it is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and by collection for illegal pet trade.

Venomous

''Echinotriton andersoni'' protects itself from predators through the uncommon ability to use their ribs to envenomate the threat. This is done by the ribs puncturing through their epidermis and lateral granular glands, which produce tetrodotoxin and piercing the threat. The mechanisms that are used for this method of protection are unusual due to their lack of muscular attachment at the ends of their ribs and the concentration of the granular glands. Occasionally their glands can appear as a lighter color than the surrounding area, hypothesized to be due to higher concentration of the tetrodotoxin in the area around their glands. Nussbaum, R. A., & Brodie, E. D. (1982). Partitioning of the Salamandrid Genus Tylototriton Anderson (Amphibia: Caudata) with a Description of a New Genus. Herpetologica, 38(2), 320–332. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3892334

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1946696 Newts Amphibians of Japan Amphibians of Taiwan Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1892

Description

Habitat and conservation

Venomous

See also

References