The red-tailed knobby newt or Kweichow (crocodile) newt (''Tylototriton kweichowensis'') 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 found in western

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 ...

("Kweichow" being an old spelling of Guizhou) and north-eastern

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is most closely related to emperor newt (''Tylototriton shanjing'') and Himalayan newt (''T. verrucosus'').

Description

The red-tailed knobby newt is a relatively large, robust newt. Their total length is , females being larger than males. They live in small ponds, slowly flowing streams and surrounding shady and moist grassy slopes with many hiding places. Outside the reproductive season, they are rather terrestrial. The reproductive season is from early May to early July, coinciding with the rainy season.

Distribution

The red-tailed knobby newt has been recorded in Bijie, Dafang, Hezhang, Nayong, Shuicheng, Weining, and Zhijin counties of western Guizhou, and Yiliang and Yongshan counties in northeastern Yunnan (Zhao 1998).

Diet

The red-tailed knobby newt feeds on worms, insects, larva, and their smaller newts. They can ingest small frogs and small toads. In captivity they often eat wax worms, mealworms, crickets, and even small fish like guppies.

Captivity

In captivity they should have a 15-20 gallon tank for housing two or three newts. 5-10 gallon tank is best to house one newt. 40-60 gallon tank for housing 5 or six newts.

References

Tylototriton Amphibians described in 1932 Amphibians of China Endemic fauna of China Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Salamandridae-stub