''Paramesotriton labiatus'' is a species of

newt A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...

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 ...

. It is

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 els ...

to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with ''

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 i ...

'', '' Pachytriton granulosus'', or ''Paramesotriton ermizhaoi'' (the last now in

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

). This species has several vernacular names, including Unterstein's newt, spotless stout newt, spotless smooth warty newt, Zhao Ermi's smooth warty newt, and paddletail newt.

Description

The paddle-tail newt is characterized by a flat body and a long, paddle-like tail. They range from black to brown to pale brown. They have orange markings along the bottom of their bodies and may have some orange dots lining their backs. Their skin is very smooth with a secretion of mucus, and their limbs are relatively short. The morphology and size of this species are similar to, if not larger than, '' Pachytriton brevipes''.Amphibiaweb.org
/ref> They use their senses of sight and smell to locate food. Since food is scarce for them in their natural environments, they can go for weeks without eating, but should be fed regularly when kept in captivity. Paddle-tail newt longevity in the wild is currently unknown, but in captivity it usually ranges from 10 to 20 years. Paddle-tail newts, uniquely, are known for their communication. They fan their tails when they are trying to attract the attention of another newt, when they are startled or frightened, or when approached by a conspecific. Paddle-tail newts are sometimes confused with the Japanese fire belly newts and sold as such, but are much larger and more aggressive and will eat smaller firebelly newts if given the opportunity. They have a similar relation named the

spotted paddle-tail newt The spotted paddle-tail newt (''Pachytriton brevipes'') is an amphibian native to southeastern China; it was named in 1876. A member of the family Salamandridae, it is closely related to the spotless paddle-tail newt (''Pachytriton labiatus' ...

References

External links

Paddletail newts
labiatus Endemic fauna of Guangxi Amphibians of China Amphibians described in 1930 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Salamandridae-stub