Eerie-Looking New Crocodile Newt Discovered in Vietnam

An eerie-looking new species of crocodile newt has been discovered in northern Vietnam by a team of Japanese researchers.

Found in the mountainous province of Ha Giang and Cao Bang, the new species Tylotorrion Ziegleri is named after reptile and amphibian specialist in Cologne, Germany, Thomas Zielger, reports VietNamNet Bridge.

The genetic and morphological details of the new species didn't match the original description of the Vietnamese crocodile newt, despite its remarkable appearance. It was then determined as a new species.

The newt is an aquatic amphibian which is also known as an eft. It belongs to the family of Salamandridae. It is mainly found in North America, Europe and Asia, and shares many characteristics with salamanders. The crocodile newt has been previously spotted by researchers in Tokyo, but they failed to recognize it as a new species.

"I was asked by a curator to identify the new species and temporarily identified it as Tylototriton vietnamensis- the Vietnamese crocodile newt. However, the morphology was different from the original description of the Vietnamese crocodile newt," Kanto Nishikawa with Kyoto University was quoted as saying in Mongabay.

He continues to say that he has never encountered the Vietnamese crocodile newt, and hence could not validate the specimen in Tokyo as an undescribed species. It was only in 2012 that he could confirm the taxonomic status of the newt as a new species after discussing it with Tao Thien Nguyen in Vietnam.

The coal-black species with orange-tinted toes is small, with the males being just 5.4-6.8 centimeters in length and females around 7.1 centimeters.

There are just 10 known species of crocodile newts that have been evaluated by the IUCN Red List. They are captured from the wild and are victims of illegal pet trade, reports Mongabay.

Their population faces a huge threat from degradation and habitat loss.

The details of the finding are published in the recent issue of Current Herpetology.