Paramesotriton labiatus (Unterstein, 1930)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Salamandridae > Subfamily: Pleurodelinae > Genus: Paramesotriton > Species: Paramesotriton labiatus

Molge labiatum Unterstein, 1930, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1930: 313. Syntypes: ZMB (4 specimens); ZMB 34087 considered holotype by Bauer, Good, and Günther, 1993, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 69: 296. Type locality: "Kwangsi" (= Guangxi), China. Fan, 1931, Bull. Dept. Biol. Coll. Sci. Sun Yatsen Univ., 11: 2, describing the expedition from whence the types came noted that "The main place from where the great majority of our specimens were secured, was a village named Loshiang () . . . . It is surrounded by lofty peaks no less than 3,000 ft. Streams run here and there through the junglewoods of a typical subtopical character . . . ." So, most likely the types came from Loshiang or its vicinity. Bauer, Good, and Günther, 1993, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 69: 296, noted that data with the holotype were "Yao Shan [= Mt. Yao], Kwangsi Prov. [= Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region], China".

Pachytriton brevipes labiatusHu, Zhao, and Liu, 1973, Acta Zool. Sinica, 19: 149–178. Presumably based on specimens of Pachytrion inexpectatus.

Pachytriton labiatusZhao and Hu, 1984, Stud. Chinese Tailed Amph.: 10. Presumably based on specimens of Pachytrion inexpectatus.

Pachytriton labiatusZhao, Hu, Jiang, and Yang, 1988, Studies on Chinese Salamanders: 16-18; Fei, Ye, Huang, Jiang, and Xie, 2005, in Fei et al. (eds.), Illust. Key Chinese Amph.: 46. Presumably based on specimens of Pachytrion inexpectatus.

Paramesotriton ermizhaoi Wu, Rovito, Papenfuss, and Hanken, 2009, Zootaxa, 2060: 64. Holotype: CIB 88141, by original designation. Type locality: "Mt. Dayao (24°07´N, 110°13´E, 881m elevation), Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, P. R. China". Synonymy by Nishikawa, Jiang, Matsui, and Mo, 2011, Zool. Sci., Tokyo, 28: 458.

Paramesotriton labiatusNishikawa, Jiang, Matsui, and Mo, 2011, Zool. Sci., Tokyo, 28: 457.

Paramesotriton (Paramesotriton) labiatus —  Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 163. 

English Names

Unterstein's Newt (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 35).

Spotless Smooth Warty Newt (Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 296). 

Unterstein's Warty Newt (Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 444).

Distribution

Known from Mount Dayao, Jinxiu and Longshen counties, Guangxi, China, 880 to 1300 m elevation.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: China, People's Republic of

Endemic: China, People's Republic of

Comment

Confused with Paramesotriton chinensis previous to its recognition according to the original publication. Zhang and Wen, 2000, Amph. Guangxi: 27, provided an account for this species (as Paramesotriton chinensis) in Guangxi, China. Nishikawa, Jiang, Matsui, and Mo, 2011, Zool. Sci., Tokyo, 28: 453-461, discovered a confusing situation where most of what had been referred to as the northeastern population of Pachytriton labiatus should have the name Pachytriton granulosus applied; the southwestern population of former Pachytriton labiatus was a distinct species, which they name Pachytriton inexpectatus, and the types of nominal Pachytriton labiatus were conspecific with what had been named Paramesotriton ermizhaoi and not with the populations that had had the name Pachytriton labiatus applied for so long. All literature prior to 2011 should be used with great caution because of this. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 163, provided a brief account, range map, and photograph. Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 296–297, reviewed the biology, characteristics, distribution, reproduction, and conservation of the species. Fei and Ye, 2016, Amph. China, 1: 383–385, provided an account, photograph, and range map. Zhong, Zhang, Zheng, Zhang, Ding, and Lin, 2021, MtDNA, Part B, 6: 428–429, provided an mtDNA Bayesian tree which suggests that this species may actually belong in PachytrtonRaffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 444–446, provided an account, summarizing systematics (including suggested that the species may belong in Pachytriton), life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map).

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