New C. pyrrhogaster, any guess what locality?

[garrison]

Well, I went to a new pet shop in Des Moines on Sunday and found a medium sized newt in the back of a dimly lit tank unlabeled. Checked it out and found it to be a C. pyrrhogaster with a nice, but maybe different coloration that what I'm used to seeing on this board. I'm very happy to have found one of these at a somewhat local store(and one that takes care of their newts!?!). He's seems pretty active so far, ate immediately, and yet has been very calm during transport and while being bothered to take pics.

I'm posting some pics to see what some more knowledgeable keepers of this species think... *cough*Tim*cough*

I know that he can't be verified to a specific locality aside from the "pet shop" region, but I think it'd be interesting to hear some thoughts.

 

[jennifer]

That's a very nicely colored one, and very healthy looking. Quite a find - I'm green with envy

I'm guessing that he's a long-term captive that someone returned to the pet shop.

 

[paris]

yeah-wow! thats a sexy boy!

 

[ralf]

Could be a male "Sasayama-type" Cynops pyrrhogaster(parallel rows of dark spots on belly with small whitish dots in between). Very nice newt indeed with an unusual dorsal colouration. Maybe Tim can give us some more info on the current status of the "Sasayama"-type in Japan.

 

[TJ]

Hi Garrison. I have some C. pyrrhogaster that are very much like this and have seen a lot more, and they typically come from western Japan, in the Kansai area that includes Osaka, Kyoto and Shiga. That's also part of the range of the Sasayama-type C. pyrrhogaster that Ralf mentions. So I'd guess Sasayama-type or possibly intermediate type because I'm not sure where Sasayama-type ends and intermediate-type begins

Some C. pyrrhogaster that one can find are without a doubt "Cynops pyrrhogaster sasayamae" going by their features, or at least that fit my image of what newts of the Sasayama "race" of C. pyrrhogaster are supposed to look like.

I have newts very much like yours that come from five different locations all in Osaka Prefecture, and there is some interesting variation among them in their belly patterns and coloration. This is the case even with newts that came from the same pond or ditch.

Anyway, very nice newt!

 

[paris]

well the very long toes will eliminate some subspecies-right tim?

 

[TJ]

I haven't heard that long toes vs. short toes is a way to distinguish between the races. Any source for that info?

When I was looking at a couple dozen newts in a location in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, I found one with obscenely long toes in the same pond as ones with relatively short toes.

Anyway, when I get home, I might compare newts from different areas to see if I notice any such pattern...

(Message edited by TJ on March 26, 2006)