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What species of Pachytriton do i have?

babamba

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here are a few pics:

266.jpg

267.jpg

268.jpg

269.jpg

270.jpg


~Aaron
 
N

nate

Guest
Those certainly look interesting. I'm not very knowledgeable about Pachytritons, so I can't help you with species ID. I suppose it would take genetic analysis to see if it is a non-labiatum species for sure. Are the bellies really that yellow or is that an unexpected photographic efect?
 
H

henk

Guest
Aaron,

these are truly odd things. I am not sure , but is one of the animals having cornifed toes (or is it just dirt ?).

They come close to the animals that I had once acqiured , many years ago and which were light camelbrown with the underside like an oystershell. However my animals have a far rounder tail then yours.

\image {Pachytriton brown}

The recognition of P. brevipes still is having black dots on the undersite of the belly,which yours are not having. So they are not P. brevipes.

I'm also surpised with the enbedded eyes of those bluky large animals and their very very large head ( which is also very wide). But perhaps they will still need to take some weight ( I guess you just acqiured them ?). Also they can still change coloration ( I once had a faint brown one turning into blue-black when placed on a darker soil)

I would be interested to see some closups of the head of that bulky one.
 
K

kai

Guest
Hi Aaron,

did the color change in the mean time?

I'd guess that these come close to Pachytriton sp.B (no distinct black spots, long toes, general coloration) - cp. http://www.dght.de/ag/urodela/arten/taxonomie_biologie_pachytriton.php3

I wouldn't place too much emphasis on differences in tail morphology - specimens from commercial sources have usually been stressed quite a bit and/or were kept at rather high temperatures. IME this results in relatively narrow tail crests which will revert back to the usual form seen on Henk's pic once the specimens have acclimatized themselves to the new environment.

However, since there are already undescribed taxa around there is always the possibility that these newts turn out to be another "new beast". ;o)

Maybe you could give it another try to get decent pics from the belly and close-ups? Please let us know when the males develop their iridescent spots along the tail!

Best wishes,
kai
 
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