A new species of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Salamandridae) from Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, Nghe An Province, Vietnam

A new species of crocodile newt, Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov., is described from Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, Nghe An Province, in the border area between Vietnam and Laos, based on molecular divergence and morphological differences. Tylototriton vietnamirabilis sp. nov. differs from other species in the subgenus Tylototriton by its body size, tail length, glandular ridge on the midline of crown of head, parotoid shape, appearance of vertebral ridge, number of dorsolateral glandular warts, the presence of a gular fold, coloration of head and body, and the presence of lateral grooves on tail.

In terms of genetic distance, the new species differs from other congeners for which comparable sequences are available by at least 5.33–5.35 % (T. panwaensis) and 5.35–5.37 % (T. anguliceps), based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND 2) gene. Our new finding brings the total number of known species in the genus Tylototriton from Vietnam to 10. Because the new species is currently known to be restricted to evergreen montane forests on Phu Xai Lai Leng Mountain, we recommend to be classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List.