Hypselotriton huanggangensis Jiang, Huang, Fan, Cheng, Raffaëlli & Chen, 2024

Jiang, Zhihao, Huang, Song, Fan, Qiangyong, Cheng, Lin, Gong, Yanan, Cui, Zhangbo, Zhang, Tierui, Lan, Wenjun, Zou, Zhian, Huang, Xuanzhi, Raffaëlli, Jean & Chen, Jinmin, 2024, A new species of the newt genus Hypselotriton (Amphibia, Urodela, Salamandridae) from Jiangxi Province, southeastern China, ZooKeys 1208, pp. 331-346 : 331-346

Hypselotriton huanggangensis Jiang, Huang, Fan, Cheng, Raffaëlli & Chen sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 5

Type material.

Holotype. HSA 23097 , adult male from Huanggangshan Mountains (28.72 ° N, 117.33 ° E; elevation 84 m), Yanshan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, China, collected by Zhihao JIANG on 22 July 2023.

Paratypes. Six adult males: HSA 23075 –23076, HSA 23098 –23099, HSA 23102 –23103, and two adult females: HSA 23100 –23101. Same collection date and locality as the holotype .

Etymology.

The specific name huanggangensis refers to the type locality in the Huanggangshan Mountains. For the English common name, we suggest “ Huanggangshan Fire-bellied Newt ” and for the Chinese name, 黄岗山蝾螈 (huáng gǎng shān róng yuán).

Diagnosis.

(1) Small body size, TOL 73.0– 79.1 mm in adult males, TOL 79.6–89.4 mm in adult females; (2) obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body; (3) ground color of the dorsal body tan; (4) skin rough; (5) ground color of venter bright orange; (6) vertebral ridge weak; (7) fingers and toes overlapping when forelimb and hindlimb adpressed towards each other along body; (8) parotoid gland inconspicuous; (9) postocular orange spot absent; (10) white warty glands around the eye; (11) two discontinuous longitudinal lines which consist of white warty glands from neck to lateral parts of tail (Fig. 6 ).

Description of the holotype.

HSA 23097 (Figs 4 , 5 ), adult male with a small, slender body (TOL 79.1 mm, SVL 47.3 mm). Head oval in dorsal view; snout truncate, projecting slightly beyond mandible; nostril small but conspicuous; tongue elongate, enlarged anteriorly, with free lateral margin; vomerine tooth patch ∧ – shaped; parotoid gland inconspicuous, gill remnants absent; gular fold present; skin with fine granules, covering most parts of dorsum, venter, chin and tail; vertebral ridge weak; cloacal opening oval, slightly protruding; limbs slender, fingers and toes overlapping when forelimb and hindlimb adpressed towards each other along the body; four fingers and five toes, slender and elongated, lacking webbing; relative length of fingers I <IV <II <III; relative length of toes I < V <II <IV <III. Tail laterally compressed, tapers posteriorly; caudal fin distinct; tail tip bluntly pointed.

Coloration of the holotype.

In life, obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body; ground color of the dorsal body tan; ground color of venter bright orange; white warty glands from the lateral part of head to tail; axilla, cloacal opening, and venter of tail bright orange. In preservative after six months (Fig. 5 ), dorsum, flanks, and limbs slightly darker. All orange coloration of venter fades to creamy white.

Variation.

Linear measurements are summarized in Table 2 . Females (TOL 79.6–89.4 mm) are distinctly larger than males (TOL 73.0– 79.1 mm). All paratypes resemble the holotype except that the cloaca is wider and more swollen in males than in females, the irregular bright-orange patches on ventral surface occupy more surface in females than in males, and the gular fold absent in some individuals.

Comparisons.

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. is phylogenetically close to H. fudingensis , which is distributed in northeastern Fujian. However, H. huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. fudingensis by its weak vertebral ridge (vs vertebral ridge conspicuous), dorsal black patches (vs small or no spots on dorsum), and ventral black patches (vs venter bright orange without dark blotches).

In addition, H. huanggangensis sp. nov. further differs from the remaining congeners.

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. orphicus by its weak vertebral ridge (vs slightly bulged) and obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body (vs small or moderate dorsal blackish dots in H. orphicus ).

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. orientalis by its parotoid gland inconspicuous (vs conspicuous) and the presence of obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the dorsum (vs absent in H. orientalis ).

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. glaucus by its obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body (vs dorsum, flanks, limbs, and upper side of tail with irregular obscure greyish blue patches in H. glaucus ).

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. jiaoren by its rough skin (vs smooth), and obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body (vs dorsum, flanks, limbs, and upper side of tail uniformly dark brown in H. jiaoren ).

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. differs from H. maguae by having its fingers and toes overlapping when forelimbs and hindlimbs are adpressed (vs forelimbs and hindlimbs not meeting when adpressed towards each other along body), and obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body (vs dorsum, flanks, limbs, and upper side of tail uniformly dark brown in H. maguae ).

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. can be distinctly distinguished from H. wolterstorffi , H. cyanurus , H. chenggongensis and H. yunnanensis by its absent postocular orange spot (vs present).

Distribution and habitat.

Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality on the western side of the Wuyishan Mountains in northeastern Jiangxi. Newts were found in a small waterhole around mountain shrubs without direct sunlight, at 84 m a. s. l. All individuals were observed in July, September, and February.

Figures

Figure 3. Paratypes of Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. (HSA 23075) A dorsalateral view in life B ventral view in life C small waterhole around mountain shrubs without direct sunlight at the type locality.

Figure 4. Comparison of holotype of Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. (left, HSA 23097) and Hypselotriton fudingensis (right, HSA 23108) in life A dorsal view B ventral view, 1, 5 obvious black patches, 2 weak vertebral ridge, 3 small spots, 4 conspicuous vertebral ridge, 6 bright orange venter without dark blotches.

Figure 5. Comparison of holotype of Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov. (left, HSA 23097) and Hypselotriton fudingensis (right, HSA 23104) in preservative A dorsal views B ventral views, 1–6 same as in Fig. 4.

Figure 6. Two discontinuous longitudinal lines which consist of white warty glands from neck to lateral parts of tail (Hypselotriton huanggangensis sp. nov., HSA 23099) in life.