T.kweichowensis Build Advice Needed Please

Niels D said:

I believe this also goes for T.kweichowensis. I would be interested in seeing some pics of your animals.

I haven't bred the T.cf.kweichowenis, but I really hope that I will succeed in having some offspring this year. The brown colouration makes the water look more natural and has no effect on the measured water conditions, except for the fact that the PH is a little lower. At this moment they're staying on the flagstones near the water, but a couple of weeks earlier they swam a lot more. Don't know what consequences this will have.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...chinotriton/82618-theres-something-going.html

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Hmmm I see, well i shall take some photos of him on his own as normally I will go to take a photo of him but the female comes along and gets in the way. But here are two photos, one of them together and one of her.

They look a lot like my animals. This could be T.cf.kweichowensis if you ask me, but I must say that I'm certainly no expert. Most T.kweichowensis I've seen have more orange colours on their backs.

Niels D said:

They look a lot like my animals. This could be T.cf.kweichowensis if you ask me, but I must say that I'm certainly no expert. Most T.kweichowensis I've seen have more orange colours on their backs.

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Well i have been looking into it a lot lately and I have came across one or two articles that basically state these are possibly new species of Tylototriton now being unofficially named as T.liangshanensis (Liangshan Crocodile Salamanders).
Also I have always wanted to know, What does the 'CF' mean in the T.cf.kweichowensis?

The "cf" abreviation means "confer" and in scientific nomenclature it denotes that the animal most closely resembles a particular species. It´s essentially an aproximation. It says that it looks most closely to "x" species but it doesn´t fully fit the description.
In the hobby, your animals would be classified as Tylototriton cf.kweichowensis.

Azhael said:

The "cf" abreviation means "confer" and in scientific nomenclature it denotes that the animal most closely resembles a particular species. It´s essentially an aproximation. It says that it looks most closely to "x" species but it doesn´t fully fit the description.
In the hobby, your animals would be classified as Tylototriton cf.kweichowensis.

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ahhh I see, thank you for telling me that but why hasn't any Taxonomist/Researcher looked into this new possible species? Surely there is scientific worth in it so they would be able to give it a Binomen so in the pet trade it wont be confused as a T.kweichowensis?

Are there more people who agree that these are T.cf.kweichowensis? If so, that I would really suggest a 50/50 tank, because this specie uses both areas!

Is there somebody who can confirm the name, or tell more about "T.liangshanensis"?

Niels D said:

Are there more people who agree that these are T.cf.kweichowensis? If so, that I would really suggest a 50/50 tank, because this specie uses both areas!

Is there somebody who can confirm the name, or tell more about "T.liangshanensis"?

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They are the T.cf.kweichowensis you and everyone else talk about but T.liangshanensis is a unofficial name for them I believe. The person who made the thread I think is called FrogEyes here is his thread and study about Liangshan Crocodile Salamanders.

I'm still confused as to why these possible new species haven't been looked into or even posses a Binomial Nomenclature yet, It's just mind boggling surely there are Taxonomists or Researchers out there that would jump at the chance of being able to name a new species? :S

Describing new species takes time. There's research, collection, writing up the article in a fashion that convinces everyone else it really is a new species, and not just locality differences. Then comes peer review of the article, and finally publication.

Then you've got to get herpers to recognize and use the new name, etc. It's a long, drawn-out process.

Naming is usually reserved for the person who first found/described the species. But it's considered bad form to name it after yourself. Most people name them after a unique identifying mark (Like Storeria occipitomaculata, referring to the small white spots on the back of the neck [which is a dumb name for a red-belly snake, if you ask me]), or they name it after someone famous, like the hundreds of species named after David Attenborough.

Kaysie said:

Describing new species takes time. There's research, collection, writing up the article in a fashion that convinces everyone else it really is a new species, and not just locality differences. Then comes peer review of the article, and finally publication.

Then you've got to get herpers to recognize and use the new name, etc. It's a long, drawn-out process.

Naming is usually reserved for the person who first found/described the species. But it's considered bad form to name it after yourself. Most people name them after a unique identifying mark (Like Storeria occipitomaculata, referring to the small white spots on the back of the neck [which is a dumb name for a red-belly snake, if you ask me]), or they name it after someone famous, like the hundreds of species named after David Attenborough.

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Well that's all fair and everything, however it appears that not a lot of research has gone into these animals soon enough really. These PNS's are getting sold into the Pet Trade as T.kweichowensis but they aren't, surely people that aren't on forums and don't check forums that would buy these individuals wouldn't be none the wiser with what they could be. They could go and buy other actual T.kweichowensis and breed them with the T.cf.kweichowensis and make hybrids being none the wiser.

I am not arguing or anything so I hope you dont miss understand my comment because i agree with all of what you say, I know the process of it but surely, for the sake of conservation of a endangered species and possibly a second new endangered species is important enough to try and name and discover this species sooner rather than later before these new little Hybrids are sold to people all over the place?

This is the reason I asked why it hasn't been looked into sooner. I mean, if I hadn't of spoken to a friend who looked into the PNS's I wouldn't of known any different until i had another pair of T.kweichowensis and even then i might of just thought my original two were just WC variants.

Here is what i keep mine in. It works fine. I am considering changes though.

Sorry, here's photo of my adult male T.kweichowensis and his aquaterrarium:

Motylica said:

Sorry, here's photo of my adult male T.kweichowensis and his aquaterrarium:

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Gorgeous specimen mate! and thats actually the type of set up im looking to make! :O exactly the same layout apart from im going to put a waterfall in it lol
Whats the background made out of mate?

Thank you very much Background is made ​​of the plug (I dont know what is the name of this) here is it: KOREK DO TERRARIUM - CORKPOL
Ostrze

Just as a general observation of my kweichow, I've found she spends more than 95% of her time on land. Only occasionally will I find her taking a dip in the water, usually in the early mornings, and always on her slanted "log" and not fully submerged.

Yes, I confirm it, male sits in the water, especially during the mating season, but it is not often.