Tylototriton zaimeng

• A new species of salamander — the Tylototriton zaimeng — has been discovered in the Zaimeng Lake within the Koubru Forest Division in Kangpokpi district in Manipur.
• The Tylototriton zaimeng had earlier been mistaken for its close relatives — the T. himalayanus and the T. verrucosus.
• But phylogenetic analysis revealed that the new salamander is a sister species of the T. panwaensis and T. houi found in northern Myanmar and southern China, respectively.
• Characteristics
  • It is a medium-sized salamander unlike any other.
  • Its head is massive and wide, with a rounded snout and protruding supratemporal bony ridges.
  • The creature’s limbs are short and elegantly formed and do not overlap when adpressed along its body.
  • A wide and unsegmented vertebral ridge ran along its back, accompanied by 13-14 pairs of rib nodules.
  • zaimeng displayed a stunning brown colouration, embellished with dull orange to yellowish-brown markings on its head, vertebral ridge, rib nodules, palms, soles, vent, and ventral tail ridge.
  • Vomerine teeth, elegantly organized in two distinctly curved bell-shaped series, further differentiated this mysterious creature.
• The researchers advocated the inclusion of the new salamander species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as a vulnerable species, emphasising the need for conservation efforts to protect it and its fragile habitat.

ABOUT ZAIMENG LAKE

• Zaimeng in the Liangmai Naga dialect means “puzzle” or “mystery”.
• It is a fresh water lake.
• It is situated on top of Khongtheng mountain ranges at Thonglang village (Bena Tababang).
• The estimated height of this lake is 2176 metres above sea level.