Dorsolateral view of Tylototriton ngoclinhensis sp. nov., holotype male (IEBR A.5130), in life.
[ Part of: Phung TM, Pham CT, Nguyen TQ, Ninh HT, Nguyen HQ, Bernardes M, Le ST, Ziegler T, Nguyen TT (2023) Southbound – the southernmost record of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam represents a new species. ZooKeys 1168: 193-218. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1168.96091 ]


A new species of crocodile newt has been discovered in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and published in the international peer-reviewed open-access academic journal ZooKeys. The new species, named Tylototriton ngoclinhensis, is one of the most colorful species in the genus Tylototriton and is the first crocodile newt species recorded from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is found at elevations from 1,800 to 2,300 m above sea level, setting an elevational record for the genus in Vietnam. The discovery represents the southernmost distribution range of the genus known to date. The habitat of the new species is located approximately 370 air km away from the nearest Tylototriton population, which makes it an important discovery in terms of evolution and zoogeography. The name “ngoclinhensis” refers to the type locality of the new species, Ngoc Linh Mountain. Restricted to evergreen montane forest, the Ngoc Linh Crocodile Newt is currently known only from the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The authors proposed the common name of Tylototriton ngoclinhensis as the Ngoc Linh crocodile newt.