In February, Japanese herpetologists Kanto Nishikawa, Masafumi Matsui (of the Kyoto University), and Tao Thien Nguyen (of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) discovered Ziegler's crocodile newt in Vietnam. The new species, called Tylototriton ziegleri, is characterised by a unique morphology, most noticeably the rough skin. The researchers noticed the new set of species features when examining a specimen in National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo and confirmed the species after a field study and DNA analysis.
On February 18, the researchers successfully published the paper at Current Herpetology,published by the Herpetological Society of Japan.
Masafumi Matsui asked Kanto Nishikawa to identify the species from the museum. After a discussion with Tao Thien Nguyen, younger brother of T. Q. Nguyen, co-author of an existing Tylototriton vietnamensis species, Kanto Nishikawa identified the species as a new one.
Last Friday, Wikinews interviewed the research team about the study.
((Wikinews))  What is most particular in the new species morphology?
((WN))  What kind of environments do the newts live in?
((WN))  What do the newts eat?
((WN))  What equipment was used during the research?
((WN))  What were the roles of the people involved in the research? What activity was most time-consuming?
((WN))  Who did you have to get research permission from?
((WN))  What was the purpose of the field study? Is an alive individual required for DNA analysis, for species description and depiction, or for something else?

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Wikinews interviews co-discoverers of Ziegler's crocodile newt