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

. It is known only from Maolan National Nature Reserve in

Libo County Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Geography The county is located in the remote southeastern corner o ...

, southern

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

, China. It is a relatively large member of its genus, reaching a total length of about . All know specimens were collected from a deep pool, but the species probably lives in underground rivers too, that is, it is stygobitic.

Description

Adult males in the type series (three specimens) measure in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

and in total length. Adult females in the type series (two specimens only) measure in snout–vent length and in total length; at the time of description, it was the largest member of its genus. The eyes are reduced, possibly not functional in image forming. The head is elongated with a short, truncated snout. Skin is relatively smooth. The body is dorsally brown-black. There is a tubercular dorsal ridge that has non-continuous yellow mottling. The venter has large, irregular orange-red spots.

Habitat and conservation

The type series was collected from a large, deep pool surrounded by lush vegetation. The pool is located at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

in a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landscape. The pool is fed by two surface streams, but it is probably drained by an underground stream that keeps the water level constant. Reduced eyes of this species suggest that it lives in the underground streams. The type locality is within a national nature reserve. Despite further surveys, this species has not been observed after its description. Threats to it are unknown. It has been assessed as " data deficient" on the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3363514 maolanensis Amphibians of China Endemic fauna of China Cave salamanders Amphibians described in 2012