Pachytriton labiatus with a distinct spine

Hi, I'm new here. Awesome site for Newt info! I've searched through the existing threads and haven't found an answer to my questions. Sorry if I missed it and it's already been discussed.

Background:

Had a few P. Labiatus' in college and unfortunately my roommate at the time accidentally killed them...long story. The ones I had were very smooth, dark and had bright bright orange spots on their underside and some on the tails.

I've moved up to Virginia, US right outside of Washington DC. I can't find these newts ANYWHERE. Some pet stores "can get them" but when I go look they're definitely not right.

I went to a new pet store and asked them to order some. They got two of them in but they're different than I remember. They have slightly abrasive skin and a defined spine, the others didn't have these traits. Additionally they are medium brown and not dark as the others were. Aside from that, they are way too similar not to be paddle tail newts. Same size/shape, swim the same, very docile when you hold them, etc.

Questions:

1. Are the ones from the most recent store a different breed or are they malnourished/not cared for?
2. Is there a specific type I should ask for to get the ones I want? This page has pictures of the ones I remember, every P.Lab in this page is exactly as I remember them:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Pachytriton/Pachytriton.shtml
3. Can I order some of these online and get them shipped to Virginia in the US? Is it even possible to ship them?
4. If I continually come up empty handed with the local pet stores, can I possibly arrange a way to pay someone to get them from their local pet store and send them to me?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Daron

Hi Daron, welcome to the site. To answer your first question, I think the newts you are describing from the pet shops may be Paramesotriton and not Pachytriton - check out the species data base in Caudata Culture and see/compare for yourself.
As far as asking a pet shop for a particular species, most pet stores don't know the first thing about newt care, let alone species info. So I think even if you went in and requested them to order Pachytriton labiatus they still wouldn't know what you wanted. I am not aware of any online supplier that sells Pachy's, but then again I have never looked for them online. Most newts can be shipped as long as the weather is cool and I see no reason why Pachys would be an exception. You can always post in the want ad section of this forum and see what turns up. I have seen a few times some folks needing to rehome their paddletails so you may get lucky.
Good luck with your search - I really like my paddletail. I think she has a lot of personality and I wish you the best in acquiring one.
Heather

Heather,

Thanks for the quick response. The newt in your picture looks kind of like the ones at the pet store. The definitive spine is mainly what I mean.

After some research it seems that you're right, the ones at the pet store most certainly are Paramesotritons. This type look very similar to the pachys that I had before so i figured that they were the right ones. Some of those pictures look dead on to the ones in the store. Also the pics at the bottom of this page look even closer to the ones in the pet store:

http://www.livingunderworld.org/caudata/database/salamandridae/paramesotriton/

I agree about the pet stores not knowing anything. They tend to be less knowledgeable about common names, let alone technical names.

Thanks also for the advice on the want ads. I didn't even know that it was there. I'll post a message there for sure

If anyone else has access at their local pet store to P. Labiatus that fit my original description -and- are willing to arrange a purchase/shipment please let me know. I'd definitely appreciate it.

-Daron