Vol. 9. pp. 6-8

Asiatic Herpetological Research2001

A New Species of Batrachuperus from Northwestern China
Mingtao Song 2 Xiaomao Zeng

1,,Guanfu Wu

1,Zhijun Liu 'and Jinzhong Fu

Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Chengdu. China 610041.
of Endangered Animals. Xi'an. China 710032.

~3

Northern west InstituteDepartment of Zoology. University of Guelph. Guelph. Ontario.

Canada NIG 2W1
Abstract.- We describe a new species of salamander in the genus Batrachuperus from Tsinling Mts. in westernChina. The new species is morphologically most similar to B. longdongensis. but differentiated by the absence ofhorny covers on palms and tarsa. It represents the most northeastern distribution and the lowest elevation of thegenus.

Key words.- Caudata. Batrachuperus. new species. China. Tsinling

Introduction
The salamander genus Batrachuperus Boulenger.
1878 contains seven species (Frost. 1985). Three species occur(Iranon the western side of the Tibet Plateauand Afghanistan). The remaining four species

are found on the eastern side of the Tibet Plateau inChina. During the tieldwork in 1986 and 1999. wecollected specimens of Batrachuperus from Zhouzhi.
China. This collection marks the most northeastern
distribution of the genus. The specimens are different

Figure 1.

from all other described species (Fei et al., 1990). andwe describe them as a new species.

Batrachuperus taibaiensis new species(Fig. 1). Taibai Stream Sala-mander
Holotype: NIEA 860122.

An adult male from theupper stream of Heihe River, near Hua Er Ping VilProvince, Chinalage. Zhouzhi County. Shaanxi(33.85°N, 107.82°E). collected by M. Song on August
8. 1986. elevation 1260m. The holotype is deposited

Paratype of Batrachuperus taibaiensis (MVZ 230964).

Asiatic Herpetological Research

2001

at the herpetological collection of Northwest Instituteof Endangered Animals, Xi'an, China.

Vol. 9, p. 7

rus taibaiensis

distinguished from geographicallyisneighboring species, B. tibetanus, by its large size andadultthe arrangement of vomerine teeth. Most phylogeneti-female, collected from the same locality at the same

cally closely related to B. karlschmidti and B. tibeta-time as the holotype. Other paratypes include NIEA

nus. Its cytochrome b gene sequence differs from B.

Paratypes:Allotype.

NIEA

860116,

an860114-5, 860117-9, 860121, 860126-7, 860129-139

longdongensis by 9.2%, from B. karlschmidti by 7%,
B. tibetanus by 8.2-8.6% (J. Fu et al.,and MVZ 230964-65, 230979-86. The NIEA series

and from

are collected from the same locality at the same time

unpublished data).

as the holotype and are deposited at the herpetology

Description: Batrachuperus taibaiensis is a large

collection of Northwest Institute of Endangered Ani-(adults males over 217

mals, Xi'an, China.

The MVZ series are collectedfrom the same locality on September 30. 1999 by Z.
Liu, and are deposited at the herpetology collection ofmm maximum SL), stout spe-

Head moderately depressed,

its length fromsnout to gular fold longer than its width; snout shortcies.

the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of Cal-and round. Labial fold well developed, often partiallycovers the lower jar. Angle of jaw just behind the pos-ifornia. Berkeley.

terior corner of eye.

Diagnosis: A relatively large, robust stream sala-tiny teeth.

mander; distinguished from other members of thegenus by the large size, vomerine teeth arranged in amine teeth four, arranged in "I \" shape.

"A" shape, and lack of horny cover on palms andmost closely

Both maxilla and mandible with

Tongue elliptical, without free end. Ver-

Body stout. Male body length slightly longer thantaillength and female body and tail length about the11. Limbs relatively short but
whenstrong;
adpressed, tips of digits do not overlap

Morphologically,
species
resembles B. longdongensis. Both species are distin-same. Costal grooves

guished from others by large size and vomerine teeth

and are always separated by 1-3 costal folds in adults,

a "A" shape. Between the two species, B.

longdongensis differs from B. taibaiensis by the pres-but contacted in juveniles. Separation is greater inmales. Fingers four, 3-2-4-1 in order of length. Toes

ence of the horny cover on palms, tarsa, and tail tip, asfour,well as the presence of gill slits in adults. Batrachupe-

without palmar and tarsal tubercles. No horny coverthetarsa.

arrangedin

3-2-4-1inMostorder of length.

individuals

Table 1 Measurement (range, means) and percentage ratios of each character dimension to SVL. All measurements are in mm.
.

Measurement

Holotype

Allotype

Male (n =11)

Juvenile

Female (n=9)

Snout-vent length

102

105

92.9±12.1

65

102.1 ±7.1

73—110
Tail length

115

105

98.5±13.7

94—111
60

91—11376—115
Head length262725.4±2.9

1920—29
Head width2325

20.4±1.6262222.7±2.51330

3029.6±3.0

18

Vomerine teeth

5251

44.8±7.9

23.7±1.2

22—26
2125—36
Limb interval

21.4±1.7

19—2520—27
Hindlimb length27.2±1.5

25—28

18—23
Forelimb length

101.3±7.5

30.9±2.5

23—34
30

52.2±8.7

33—59

44—68

44

Vol. 9, p. 8

Asiatic Herpetological Researchon palms, tarsa, and ventral side of the fingers, andtoes.

Some individuals have horny cover of the very

2001

the clade is the sister group of B. yenyuansis and B.

pinchonii.

tips of the fingers and toes. Tail round at the base andgradually flattened laterally. Tail fin moderately high.

Skin smooth. The measurements of the type speci-mens are presented in table 1.
Habitat and distribution:

This species

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to E. Zhao, Z. Kou, Q. Wang and K.
Li for their help. This research was supported by theis

onlyknown from the type locality, which is the most northeastern distribution of the genus and the only known
location from the northern slope the Tsinling Mts.

Chengdu Diao Science Fund, Southwest Base Fundand NSFC 30070090 to X. Zeng and National Geographic Society grant 6591-99 to J. Fu.

It

has also the lowest elevation of the genus (1260m).

Literature Cited

This species inhabits in fast moving streams (closeto theheadwater of Heihe River). During daytime,and havethey are found under rocks in the stream,

never been observed under rocks on the riverbank.

The stream is well covered by the canopy from bothsides of the river and has steep slopes.

Boulenger, G. A. 1878. Description de deux genres
nouveaux de la famille des salamandrides. Bulletin dela Societe Zoologique de France

ogy

Etymology: The name taibaiensis is derived fromthe name of the nearby peak, Taibai Peak, which is thehighest point of Tsinling Mts.

Remarks: Recent phylogenetic study of the genus
supported the species status of B. taibaiensis (Fu et al.
unpublished data). It is the sister group of the clade
including B. karlschimdti and B. tibetanus. Together,

1878:71-72.

and Y. Huang. 1990. Key to Chinese
Amphibia. Chongqing Branch, Science and TechnolFei, L., C. Ye,

Literature

Publishing

House,Chongqing,Sichuan.
Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian Species of the World.
The Association of Systematics Collections and Allen
Press, Lawrence, Kansas.