J
john
Guest
This is a large post - a copy of an email, but I hope you like it. The photos described in the text are displayed at the bottom of the post.
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I apologise for the size of the email, but I thought you would be interested in this new mystery that I have come across. Attached to this email are seven photos. Three show what I am familiar with as Tylototriton verrucosus, as written about by Jurgen Fleck and Max Sparreboom in elaphe (in this case an adult female measuring 16 cm total length). Three depict what I will call Tylototriton "x" for the purposes of this communication. The last photograph shows eggs of both species together ("x" is on the left, "verrucosus" is on the right. The eggs of "x" are almost completely brown when compared to those of "verrucosus", and the grey crescent of "x" is/was hard to see, though they are a little further on in development than the "verrucosus" egg. In size, the diameter of an "x" embryo is considerably higher than that of a "verrucosus" embryo, and the jelly layers seem significantly thinner in "x", proportionally speaking.
The adult Tylototriton "x" animal measures 21 cm total length. I'm reasonably certain that it's a male. I know that it is at least 5 years old, but probably more - it was this size when bought in a pet shop 2 years ago. It has lived almost completely aquatic for a long period now, and fertile spawnings have occurred previously. The latest occurred last weekend. In this instance, many or possibly most of the eggs were laid above the water line in crevices of bog wood.
The adult Tylototriton "verrucosus" animal is a female measuring 16 cm total length and though quite young (less than 2 years), it has reached maturity (it has spawned eleven times). Its photos are included to aid in comparisons. It has been living aquatically for at least 7 months.
I would welcome any light that you may be able to shed on the true identification of these animals. I'll list the important features that I have noticed about "x" that seem different when compared to "verrucosus":
1- The body colour of "x" is a light chocolate brown. The tubercles on the rib peaks are a slightly different colour to the body, but not like the light orange on dark brown or on black colouration of the "verrucosus" I have. The colouration of "verrucosus" darkens once kept aquatically for a few weeks. This is not the case in "x".
2- The dorsal ridge of "x" is the same lighter colour as the tubercles, not the main body colour. In "verrucosus" the colour of this ridge is the same as the main body colour.
3- The head of "x" is not as triangular in shape as "verrucosus" (note that the animal in Mamoru Kawamura's photos that were posted on the list last year have a distinctly triangular head).
4- The body of "x" seems more elongated than "verrucosus" (I have compared with "x" thin "verrucosus" to be sure).
5- The tail of "x" is much shorter in height and longer in length, particularly given that this is a breeding male "x".
6- The legs of "verrucosus" are dark in colour and the feet are light in colour. In "x", the feet and the legs are both lightly coloured.
7- There are two distinctly brighter orange/brown areas at each side of the head in "verrucosus" which are not distinct/present in "x" when compared to the rest of the head.
8- The tubercles are more pronounced in "x" than in "verrucosus" and extrude from the body.
9- "x" belongs to a friend and I believe that he has other animals of the same species that are larger (i.e. greater than 21 cm total length) - this is very large for "verrucosus".
10- The eggs and embryos of both species are quite different, even accepting the fact that larger individual animals of one species tend to lay larger eggs than smaller individual animals of the same species. This still does not account for the great difference in embryo colour.
This animal resembles more closely what Anderson described as Tylototriton
verrucosus than any other Tylototriton I've seen or heard of so far. Indeed, it resembles very closely what Shresta described as wild T. verrucosus in Nepal. So, this leaves me very confused as to what I really have and what this newcomer is.
I look forward to hearing your views.
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I apologise for the size of the email, but I thought you would be interested in this new mystery that I have come across. Attached to this email are seven photos. Three show what I am familiar with as Tylototriton verrucosus, as written about by Jurgen Fleck and Max Sparreboom in elaphe (in this case an adult female measuring 16 cm total length). Three depict what I will call Tylototriton "x" for the purposes of this communication. The last photograph shows eggs of both species together ("x" is on the left, "verrucosus" is on the right. The eggs of "x" are almost completely brown when compared to those of "verrucosus", and the grey crescent of "x" is/was hard to see, though they are a little further on in development than the "verrucosus" egg. In size, the diameter of an "x" embryo is considerably higher than that of a "verrucosus" embryo, and the jelly layers seem significantly thinner in "x", proportionally speaking.
The adult Tylototriton "x" animal measures 21 cm total length. I'm reasonably certain that it's a male. I know that it is at least 5 years old, but probably more - it was this size when bought in a pet shop 2 years ago. It has lived almost completely aquatic for a long period now, and fertile spawnings have occurred previously. The latest occurred last weekend. In this instance, many or possibly most of the eggs were laid above the water line in crevices of bog wood.
The adult Tylototriton "verrucosus" animal is a female measuring 16 cm total length and though quite young (less than 2 years), it has reached maturity (it has spawned eleven times). Its photos are included to aid in comparisons. It has been living aquatically for at least 7 months.
I would welcome any light that you may be able to shed on the true identification of these animals. I'll list the important features that I have noticed about "x" that seem different when compared to "verrucosus":
1- The body colour of "x" is a light chocolate brown. The tubercles on the rib peaks are a slightly different colour to the body, but not like the light orange on dark brown or on black colouration of the "verrucosus" I have. The colouration of "verrucosus" darkens once kept aquatically for a few weeks. This is not the case in "x".
2- The dorsal ridge of "x" is the same lighter colour as the tubercles, not the main body colour. In "verrucosus" the colour of this ridge is the same as the main body colour.
3- The head of "x" is not as triangular in shape as "verrucosus" (note that the animal in Mamoru Kawamura's photos that were posted on the list last year have a distinctly triangular head).
4- The body of "x" seems more elongated than "verrucosus" (I have compared with "x" thin "verrucosus" to be sure).
5- The tail of "x" is much shorter in height and longer in length, particularly given that this is a breeding male "x".
6- The legs of "verrucosus" are dark in colour and the feet are light in colour. In "x", the feet and the legs are both lightly coloured.
7- There are two distinctly brighter orange/brown areas at each side of the head in "verrucosus" which are not distinct/present in "x" when compared to the rest of the head.
8- The tubercles are more pronounced in "x" than in "verrucosus" and extrude from the body.
9- "x" belongs to a friend and I believe that he has other animals of the same species that are larger (i.e. greater than 21 cm total length) - this is very large for "verrucosus".
10- The eggs and embryos of both species are quite different, even accepting the fact that larger individual animals of one species tend to lay larger eggs than smaller individual animals of the same species. This still does not account for the great difference in embryo colour.
This animal resembles more closely what Anderson described as Tylototriton
verrucosus than any other Tylototriton I've seen or heard of so far. Indeed, it resembles very closely what Shresta described as wild T. verrucosus in Nepal. So, this leaves me very confused as to what I really have and what this newcomer is.
I look forward to hearing your views.