Pachytriton wuguanfui explained

Pachytriton wuguanfui is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae from Hunan and Guangxi in southern China that was discovered in 2016. The species inhabits cold montane streams within broadleaf forests.[1]

Morphology

The dorsal side is dark brown and the ventral side is brown with blotches of orange. The underside of limbs, the tail, and the cloaca is orange. Organisms have smooth skin with prominent paratoid glands, and a head that is flat and oval-shaped. They have short limbs and digits are slightly webbed.

Sexual dimorphism has not been fully studied yet, but males have a larger cloaca with females that also contain papillae on its walls.

Etymology

The species' scientific name stems from the herpetologist Guanfu Wu, to honor his contributions to science.

Pathogens

An individual of this species was found to be infected with Bsal, meaning that they are susceptible to the pathogen and could put the future fate of the species in jeopardy.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Yuan . Zhi-Yong . Zhang . Bao-Lin . Che . Jing . 2016-03-02 . A new species of the genus Pachytriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) from Hunan and Guangxi, southeastern China . Zootaxa . en . 4085 . 2 . 219–232 . 10.11646/zootaxa.4085.2.3 . 1175-5334.
  2. Web site: Climate as a gatekeeper: Unexpected absence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in an Asian Chytrid hotspot suggests a narrow climatic niche for the pathogen - ESS Open Archive . 2024-04-18 . essopenarchive.org . 10.22541/au.168300972.21341466.