Help with newt ID

[brian]

I purchased 4 "fire belly newts" today. I know 2 are Chinese fire belly (smaller size rounded tails) Two are larger, orange feet, long spots on the stomach, and the top and bottom of the tail is orange. I am worried that they (2) might be paddletails. If they are I will be removing them ASAP. I have fed them all well to hopefully prevent any incidents. (They are in a 40 Gallon Paludarium. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as the pictures I am seeing of the paddletails are of a very light color and mine are just as dark as the chinese fire belly newts. Thanks

 

[brian]

The first picture has a Chinese fire belly (in background) and the newt in question in front to give a size comparison. The second picture is of the stomach. Sorry the pictures aren't the best this is my parents camera and I'm not sure how to use it.

 

[jesper]

Hi,
I am not very good on the subject of paddletails, but I'll give you some quick advise.

Paddletails are almost always pachytriton labiatus, they are easily recognizable by the broad tail shaped like a paddle.
If these animals have "long" spots(ie irregular) and are bigger than the others I would guess that they are cynops ensicauda ensicauda, pachytriton labiatus or cynops pyrrhogaster. Most likely they are pachytriton labiatus as you suspect but I that's a very streched guess.

It's really easy to see if they are, they have more flat heads, much broader tail and the body is much longer between the frontlegs and the back legs than in cynops species.

 

[nate]

The larger animal in the top photo is definitely P. labiatus, and a very nice one at that!

 

[jesper]

Ah, you posted pics while I was writing my post LOL

That is a pachytriton.
LOL

(Message edited by jesper on February 14, 2004)

 

[jesper]

Hi, again
I haven't been much into labiatus but this one doesn't look like some I have seen. Its body is much more proportional, is this a juvenile perhaps?

 

[brian]

They are both around 4" long, and from doing some reading they get up to 10" long! So I guess for 4" they could be younger. They do have rounder tails. They were very skinny when I got them and I fed them well and one shed today, and they are both very smooth. They will be moved to a new tank ASAP. Thanks for all your help if anyone wants more pictures I can get some later with my camera so they will be in focus.

 

[brian]

They are seperated from the Chinese Fire Bellied newts. They are both in a 12 Gallon tank. I hope this will be enough room for them for now. Thanks for the quickness of the help, before I found out the hard way with a death.