FrogEyes
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T.daweishanensis was first described from Mt. Dawei, a locality surrounded by known localities of T.yangi. While not directly compared, both species appeared in the same relative positions within phylogenetic trees, suggesting that they were closely related or conspecific. Specimens in the pet trade which were identified as melanistic T.yangi appeared to match T.daweishanensis. A study just published now confirms that T.daweishanensis is a synonym of T.yangi:
Kanto Nishikawa, Ding-Qi Rao, Masafumi Matsui and Koshiro Eto, 2015. Taxonomic Relationship between Tylototriton daweishanensis Zhao, Rao, Liu, Li and Yuan, 2012 and T. yangi Hou, Li and Lu, 2012 (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae). Current Herpetology Volume 34 Issue 1: 67-74.
We assessed taxonomic relationship of Tylototriton daweishanensis Zhao, Rao, Liu, Li and Yuan, 2012 and T. yangi Hou, Li and Lu, 2012 using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and found them to be as closely related as to be regarded as conspecific. This result, together with available morphological information, strongly indicates that T. daweishanensis is a junior synonym of T. yangi.
Kanto Nishikawa, Ding-Qi Rao, Masafumi Matsui and Koshiro Eto, 2015. Taxonomic Relationship between Tylototriton daweishanensis Zhao, Rao, Liu, Li and Yuan, 2012 and T. yangi Hou, Li and Lu, 2012 (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae). Current Herpetology Volume 34 Issue 1: 67-74.
We assessed taxonomic relationship of Tylototriton daweishanensis Zhao, Rao, Liu, Li and Yuan, 2012 and T. yangi Hou, Li and Lu, 2012 using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and found them to be as closely related as to be regarded as conspecific. This result, together with available morphological information, strongly indicates that T. daweishanensis is a junior synonym of T. yangi.