‘Slender’ lake creature with ‘fire’-like belly found in China. It’s a new species
In a mountain lake of eastern China, a “slender” creature with a colorful belly swam through the water. Its remote home and camouflaged coloring had helped it go unnoticed or, when occasionally spotted, be misidentified.
But the “rough”-textured animal turned out to be a new species.
Researchers ventured into the slopes of Mount Fenghuang in 2019 as part of a large-scale survey of salamanders, according to a study published Aug. 14 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. The mountain “is famous for the cultivation and production of the Phoenix Oolong Tea.”
During the surveys, researchers found a trio of salamanders in a lake, the study said. At first glance, the animals looked like a known species of newt. But when researchers analyzed the animals’ DNA, they realized they’d discovered a new species: Hypselotriton (Cynotriton) oolong, or the oolong fire-bellied newt.
Oolong fire-bellied newts are considered “small-sized,” reaching just under 3 inches in length, the study said. Their “slender” bodies have a “rough” texture.
Seen from above, the new species has a “dark brown” or “olive brown” coloring with darker spots. Underneath, its belly is “bright orange” and “fire”-like. Photos show this coloring.
Oolong fire-bellied newts were found in a lake, “puddles and slow streams” at elevations of about 4,200 feet, the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after the oolong tea cultivated in the area where it was discovered.
“Yet,” researchers wrote, “the developments of tea cultivation have affected and threatened the habitats of this species.”
The new species’ name also honors Akira Toriyama, a Japanese manga artist whose “most famous work, Dragon Ball, was originally inspired by Chinese culture” and includes a character named “Oolong,” researchers said.
So far, oolong fire-bellied newts have only been found in “Tianchi Lake and surrounding streams of Mt Fenghuang,” the study said. This peak is in Guangdong Province along China’s east coast and a roughly 1,300-mile drive south from Beijing.
The new species was primarily identified by its DNA but also its other subtle physical features, the study said.
The research team included Jian Wang, Zhao-Chi Zeng, Tian-Li Wei and Zhi-Tong Lyu.
This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 7:00 AM with the headline "‘Slender’ lake creature with ‘fire’-like belly found in China. It’s a new species."
