''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 t ...

s 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 ...

. 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 only 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 foun ...

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 ...

of ''Paramesotriton'' is '' Laotriton''. The genus may be divided into two species groups (

subgenera In biology, a subgenus ( 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 the ge ...

), ''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 (newt) found in Hong Kong. Once thought to be endemic to the territory, the species has also been found in the coastal pa ...

'' 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, an ...

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

* ''

Paramesotriton deloustali The Tam Dao salamander, Vietnamese salamander, or Vietnam warty newt (''Paramesotriton deloustali'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Vietnam and Yunnan, China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropica ...

'' (Bourret, 1934) —

Tam Dao salamander The Tam Dao salamander, Vietnamese salamander, or Vietnam warty newt (''Paramesotriton deloustali'') is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Vietnam and Yunnan, China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropica ...

, Vietnamese salamander * '' Paramesotriton fuzhongensis'' Wen, 1989 — Wanggao warty newt * ''

Paramesotriton guangxiensis ''Paramesotriton guangxiensis'', the Guangxi warty newt, is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found only in China: it is only known from Paiyangshan, Ningming County, in Guangxi Province. Its natural habitats are subtro ...

'' (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 (newt) found in Hong Kong. Once thought to be endemic to the territory, the species has also been found in the coastal pa ...

, Hong Kong newt * ''

Paramesotriton labiatus ''Paramesotriton labiatus'' is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exce ...

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

Paramesotriton maolanensis ''Paramesotriton maolanensis'', also known as the Maolan warty newt, 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 me ...

'' 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, an ...

'' 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, an ...

'' 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, and known from its type locality near Nanchong village, Fuhe, Luoding City, and from the Y ...

'' Wu, Jiang, and Hanken, 2010 * '' Paramesotriton zhijinensis'' Li, Tian, and Gu, 2008 — Zhijin warty newt

Intrinsic Phylogeny

Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus ''Paramesotriton.''

References

External links

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