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 ten ...
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 ...
found in the
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and, at least formerly,
Mount Guanyin in northern
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, 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, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...
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;[
''Echinotriton andersoni'' is uncommon, and it is threatened by ]habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and by collection for illegal pet trade.
See also
*Anderson's salamander
Anderson's salamander (''Ambystoma andersoni'') is a neotenic salamander from Zacapu Lagoon in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
This salamander is a relatively recent discovery, first described by Branden and Krebs in 1984. ''Ambystoma andersoni ...
(''Ambystoma andersoni'')
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1946696
Newts
Amphibians of Japan
Amphibians of Taiwan
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Amphibians described in 1892