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Anderson's Spiny Crocodile Salamander, Echinotriton andersoni Boulenger (1892)

This species is known to occur on five islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago of southern Japan; Amami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawajima, Sesokojima and Tokashikijima. According to museum specimens, E. andersoni used to occur in the north of Taiwan as well (Zhao et al. 1988). The population on Taiwan seems extinct, but due to it’s very secretive lifestyle the absence of the species from Taiwan cannot be confirmed. Unconfirmed sightings are known from other islands in the Amami Group. There are some genetic (Hayashi et al. 1992) and morphological (Fleck 2006) between the different island populations, though not as much to recognise different subspecies.

This species can reach lengths up to 160 mm. The head is triangular, with only slightly developed cranial ridges. The skin is black to dark brown coloured. Usually the underside of the tail, the underside of the feet and the cloaca region are yellow to orange coloured. The row of dorso-lateral warts can also be light coloured, but this is mainly seen in populations on islands of the Amami-Oshima group (J. Fleck comm.).

This species occurs mostly in forested parts of the islands, and are not easily seen. Mating takes place on land. The female subsequently deposits very large eggs on a damp place near the water. After some time, usually during rain, the eggs hatch, and the larvae crawl and flush into the water. When the larvae have entered the water they develop similar to Tylototriton sp. This means that adult animals never enter the water after metamorphosis, behaviour typical for Echinotriton sp.

The keeping and breeding of this species is similar to terrestrial Tylototriton species, with the exception that E. andersoni deposits it's eggs on land. A water area is not necessary, but a water dish certainly is.

Look here for photos of this species.

Hayashi, T., M. Matsui, T. Utsunomiya, S. Tanaka & H. Ota, 1992. Allozyme variation in the newt Tylototriton andersoni from three islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago. Herpetologica 48(2): 178-184.

Fleck, J. (2006): Bemerkungen zu Echinotriton andersoni von den Japanischen Inseln Tokunoshima und Okinawa sowie zur Nachtzucht von Tieren der Tokunoshima-Form. Amphibia 5(2): 4-6.

Zhao, E., Q. Hu, Y. Jiang & Y. Yang (1988): Studies on Chinese salamanders. Society for the study of amphibians and reptiles: 12-15.