1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Mostly aquatic; needs cool water and a resting area.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Mostly aquatic; needs cool water and a resting area.
Good to know: Needs an aqua-terrarium with a land area. Skin is toxic: wash hands after handling.
Bloodworms, small worms.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Mature males have a swollen cloaca with small dark-brown papillae; females are larger (about 8 cm vs 6-6.5 cm).
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-layer (substrate spawner) · Moderate
Breeds March-July. Females lay eggs singly on water plants and may fold a leaf around each egg with the hind legs.
Buy 4-6 newts. Males have a swollen vent.
A 80 L tank with plants, land and cool water of 16-22 C.
A cool winter and warm spring.
A female lays around 100 eggs per breeding season; eggs hatch in 13-24 days.
Larvae eat brine shrimp, then worms.
A small black newt with a bright orange-red belly. Its skin secretes toxins, like other Cynops-group newts, so wash hands after handling.
French missionary-naturalist Père Armand David described this newt in 1873 from his travels in China. It became one of the most widely traded pet newts thanks to its bright belly and small size. It spends most of its life in water, coming ashore only occasionally.
First described by Armand David in 1873.
10 facts checked with sources
Amphibian (salamander/newt), not a fish. Amphibian Species of the World and AmphibiaWeb now list it as Hypselotriton orientalis; Cynops orientalis is the older and still widely used name (and Fei & Ye 2016 keep it in a 'Cynops orientalis group'). Site could show 'Hypselotriton orientalis (syn. Cynops orientalis)'. Wikipedia notes it is frequently confused with the Japanese fire-bellied newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster.
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Hypselotriton orientalis · AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)New value. Subfamily Pleurodelinae.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Total length including tail: females ~8 cm, males 6-6.5 cm (SVL 4.5 and 4.0 cm). Legacy 10 cm is too large.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Source gives 15-23 °C; legacy 15-22 is inside it.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Sources describe shallow, densely planted semi-aquatic habitat, not a swimming level.
Wikipedia: Chinese fire belly newtNew value. IUCN Least Concern; AmphibiaWeb: 'a common and abundant species in its range'.
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Hypselotriton orientalis · AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Swollen male cloaca verified. 'Slimmer/rounder' not stated; size difference is.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Spring breeding consistent with a cool-winter trigger; Wikipedia notes hibernation in winter.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Hatch time (2-3 weeks) agrees; egg count lower than legacy 100-300.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis)Toxicity statement cites Brodie, Hensel & Johnson 1974 via Wikipedia; warning-colour function is standard but not quoted from a primary source.
AmphibiaWeb: Hypselotriton orientalis (Cynops orientalis) · Wikipedia: Chinese fire belly newt