Hong Kong Warty?

[levinas]

My local pet shop had a delvery of what thye're calling red bellied paddletails( Pachytriton Labiatus). I've bought a couple home, seemingly male and gravid female. I think they're Hong Kong Warty's though.
-Ridge down back and on either side, Prominent behind the eye, to slope to less obvious ridge just under 20mm from eye.
-Skin between ridges feels smooth, doesnt look bobbly like some warty's pictured but is on close inspection rough-no where near as bobbly as the side ridges though.
-Male has postules protruding from cloaca.Beginning of cloaca has bright orange blob, rest is dark.
-Male has bright orange blobs on belly edged by black, much much smaller spots where sides meet belly.Background colur to the belly is much lighter than the female though, kahki greenish(?)
-Male has silvered stripe on tail.
-Female has swollen abodomen.
-Females belly has large bright orange blobs on a black background with fewer in number, 5 or 6, where sides meet belly and a bright orange blob at beginning of clopaca rest is dark and not so prominent as male.
-Both have bright orange stripe on lower mm of tail from base to about midway of tails length.Colouration on top is dark khaki green/black

Sound like hong kongs to you?And do you think ive correctly identified the sexes?

Cheers
Dean.

 

[FrogEyes]

Sounds more like a Chinese warty, Paramesotriton chinensis. Maybe some kind of Allomesotriton, like P.caudopunctatus. Hard to say. Small markings at the margins of the belly are common in P.labiatus, Allomesotriton, and Cynops sasayamae. Greenish dorsal color is typical in P.labiatus, P.chinensis, and P.caudopunctatus complex.

There is no Pachytriton labiatus. The species now known as Paramesotriton labiatus replaces the newer name P.ermizhaoi, and resembles a rough-scaled Pachytriton, colored somewhat like P.chinensis and P.caudopunctatus. The animals labeled as Pachytriton labiatus are now P.inexpectatus, P.granulosus, P.xanthospilos, P.changi, and P.feii.

 

[levinas]

Thanks for the reply.The chinese warty pics ive seen had reddish dorsal ridge and yellow spots, listed as being present where limbs met body-mine have neither, the dorsal ridge is same colour as rest of body.And the skin between ridges is smoothish.
Pet shop gave me the pachytriton labiatus as trhe latin name listed on the invoice for them, they're definately not those as not smooth all over.The 'females ' belly spots, colour and shape is like those on a pic of fuzhongensis ive found but im expecting variations between same species groups so ....Also i expect i could have 2 seperate species in the same tank of 'paddletails'.The 'female' is certainly black(or at least very very dark )not green on the back and belly background.Im now a little concerned about 'bloat', ive no idea what it is or looks like in newts and whether my 'female' is swollen cos of gravid or not.Throat doesnt look swollen so maybe not a problem.

 

[Henry Janssen]

Some pictures would be helpfull Dean !

 

[firedreams]

Please post some pics!

 

[FrogEyes]

P.chinensis is very variable in color. The yellow axillary spots may be absent, the dorsal ridge may not be distinctly orange, and the dorsal color may be nearly black, rarely orangish. It used to be that mixed-species shipments from southern China were the norm, but now the norm is almost exclusively shipments of P.chinensis or the other newts which occur close to Shanghai [P.granulosus, P.feii, H.orientalis].

 

[levinas]

Will have to borrow a camera.With the aid of a torch, there's no light above the aquarium, i can see that there is indeed a reddish colour to the dorsal ridge and they are greeny black, when in the water-so chinensis it is.
I read they can be aggressive and territorial.So im hoping that the lack of aggression, coupled with tail shimmering from the 'male', indicates ive got male and female.ive seen the 'male' go for an earthworm but ive yet to see the 'female' strike for anything.They seem to like floating on top of the watercress plants ive put in thier aquarium.All in all im quite pleased with them-Glad i checked out the fish section of ther pet shop now