Have Lake Kunming newts (Hypselotriton wolterstorffi) been rediscovered alive?

[FrogEyes]

While working on a large project on Asiatic salamanders, I came across some information I haven't seen before. From Frost's "Amphibian Species of the World", the account for Hypselotriton wolterstorffi.
Amphibian Species of the World

I've put the key information in blue, and have kept only the portion of the comments which seem relevant, only one of which would seem to relate to the distribution:

Distribution
Yunnan, China, inhabiting the lake outside of Yunnanfu, and also from Oshan and Cheli in the same province (see comment).

Comment
See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World, : 144, who regarded the species as extinct. Fei, Ye, and Jiang, 2010, Colored Atlas of Chinese Amph., : 101, provided a brief account including photographs.

Key points: As of 2008, considered extinct, with no photographs of living animals and only one locality ever reported. Now two new localities are mentioned, but the only possible reference provided is dated 2010, and reportedly includes "photographs" plural. It's certainly possible that multiple photographs have been made of preserved specimens, but in light of two new reported localities out of the blue, I think it more likely that the species has been rediscovered. If this is so, I'm not actually surprised - I fully expected this species to occur at more than one locality. As far as I can tell, Oshan would also be called Eshan, and is a short distance south of Lake Kunming on highway 214. Cheli is a considerable range extension, being near the Myanmar and Laos borders [AKA Jinghong, on highways 213 and 214]. I question whether the latter would be the same species, if I've identified the locality correctly.

Does anyone have the key reference above, or has anyone heard more on this [probably not, or there'd be a thread already]?

 

[froggy]

I have a friend who has this book. It is in Chinese, though. I can ask him to send me a photocopy of the relevant bit, though.

This would be exciting if it's the case! And perhaps a new species towards Myannmar.

C

 

[methodik]

I have also come across this newt several times in literature and always wondered if really the whole habitat of it could be destroyed. If it is the case and this newt was rediscovered I hope to see some pics of living specimen...

 

[Mark]

Interesting stuff.

It would be surprising if these newts were restricted just to the lake area, although that's what is suggested. I believe they're associated with the lake because of the tales of fishermen who saw them in their thousands but it wouldn't be far fetched to assume their range was wider. They were not a specialist lake species as far as I know and utilized other water bodies nearby such as ponds, marshes and irrigation channels (similar to orientalis I suppose). The deep cold waters of the lake may have increased the rate of neoteny but it was found outside the lake so it wasn't exclusively neotenic. H.orientalis attained a 600km square range in the east so the 70km south to Oshan for a similar species is not implausible.

Perhaps the new locations relate only to additional anecdotal reports from people who saw them first hand 30+ years ago. The location towards Myannmar seems odd, but maybe it relates to somewhere else. Let's hope I'm wrong and you're right!

 

[FrogEyes]

My friend in Hong Kong hadn't heard anything, and is looking into it. Another friend who has been researching newts in the field in China for several years was also unaware of this record. He doesn't have the book in question, but mentions that it's not a scientific book and has a number of errors. He is forwarding the inquiry to colleagues in China.