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The Emperor Crocodile Salamander, Tylototriton shanjing Nussbaum, Brodie & Datong (1995)

Taxonomy

T. shanjing was described as a separate species from T. verrucosus by Nussbaum et al. (1995). Although it is morphologically easily separated from T. verrucosus, recent research on the mitochondrial Cyt b gene has concluded that the genetic distance between these two species is very small. Therefore, T. shanjing could be a synonym of T. verrucosus (Zhang et al. 2007).

Appearance

Until 1995 Tylototriton shanjing was part of T. verrucosus. Some articles that are written before 1995 actually concern T. shanjing instead of T. verrucosus, such as Raaijmakers (1982).

The Emperor Crocodile Salamander is one of the most visually attractive species of Crocodile Salamander. This species has a brown to black skin, but parts of the head, a dorsal ridge, two dorso-lateral wart rows, the paws, the tail and parts of the underside are yellow to orange coloured. They can reach a size of up to 170 mm.

Sexing proves difficult sometimes, but is not impossible. When opening the cloaca gently, you can see a slit for males, and a little hole for females. In the breeding season, the cloaca of the male is more pronounced. The females are all year round usually larger and fatter than the males. 

Some animals tend to have a lighter skin colour. It is not known if this is a pigmentation irregularity.

Distribution and habitat

The Emperor Crocodile Salamander has up till now only been reported from China. It lives in the south and west, and at a few northern localities of Yunnan province. It is highly possible that this species is also distributed in Laos and Myanmar, as some known localities in China are just a few miles from the border of these countries (Nussbaum et al. 1995). 

T. shanjing lives in subtropical forests around 2000 meters altitude. It breeds in slow running streams and pools.

During the winter Emperor Crocodile Salamanders should be kept in an terrestrial setup with forest soil, leaves and moss. They can stand temperatures down to 5 degrees (41 F) for some periods, but 15 degrees (59 F) should be enough to trigger breeding.

In China, this species breeds from late April to august. From April on, the salamanders can be put in a aquaterrarium, preferably half land- half water. There should be enough dry spots, but also very moist spots on land. The male will mostly enter the water, sometimes the female will follow. Mating behaviour is usually seen when the air humidity is above 95% (Bouwman & Pasmans 2002). The mating can occur both in the water and on land. It is therefore good to put large, flat stones on land and in the water for deposition of the spermatophore of the male.

After internal fertilisation, the female will lay up to 300 eggs in the water and on moist places above the water. The larvae can be put into spacious aquaria for rearing. The metamorphosed juveniles seem to thrive best in a large natural setup where they can choose the humidity and food they want.

Status in captivity

T. shanjing is a popular salamander because of it’s beauty. From time to time some T. shanjing are exported from China to western countries. Breeding results are still rare though, and the demand for this species is much higher than the offer. Many imported Emperor Crocodile Salamanders die, this is because of the state they are in (many are sick and dehydrated) but also because the information and knowledge about keeping this species is limited. For the studbooks of T. shanjing you can visit www.ag-urodela.de and www.studbooks.org. 

Look here for photos of this species.

Bouwman, A. & F. Pasmans (2002): Tylototriton shanjing Nussbaum et al., 1995  Oranje krokodilsalamander: 21-24; in: Bouwman, A. & S. Bogaerts, 2002 (samenstelling en redactie). Salamanders jubileumbundel Salamandervereniging.

NUSSBAUM, R. A., E. D. BRODIE, JR., & Y. DATONG (1995): A taxonomic review of Tylototriton verrucosus Anderson (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae). Herpetologica, 51(3): 257-268.

Raaijmakers, C. J. (1982): Geslaagde kweek met Tylototriton verrucosus, de Ruwe Krokodilsalamander. Lacerta 41 (1): 18-21.

Zhang, M., D. Rao, G. Yu & J. Yang (2007): The validity of red knobby newt (Tylototriton shanjing) species status based on Mitochondrial Cyt b gene. Zoological Research 28(4): 430-436.