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Issue: Vol. 1775 No. 1: 23 May. 2008
Type: Article
Published: 2008-05-23
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1775.1.4
Page range: 51–60
Abstract views: 65
PDF downloaded: 1

A new species of Paramesotriton (Caudata : Salamandridae) from Guizhou Province, China

Department of Environment and Life Science, Bijie College, Guizhou 551700, China State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
Department of Environment and Life Science, Bijie College, Guizhou 551700, China
School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
Amphibia Caudata Salamandridae Paramesotriton zhijinensis new species scent gland Guizhou China

Abstract

We describe a new species of salamander, Paramesotriton zhijinensis, from Guizhou Province, China. The generic allocation of the new species is based on morphological and molecular characters. In morphology, it is most similar to Paramesotriton chinensis but differs in having distinct gland emitting a malodorous secretion (here named scent gland), a postocular stripe, and two non-continuous, dorsolateral stripes on the dorsolateral ridges. Furthermore, neoteny was observed in most individuals of the new species. This has not been previously reported to occur in any other species of Paramesotriton. Analysis of our molecular data suggests that this species a third major evolutionary lineage in the genus Paramesotriton.

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