The Northeastern China Hynobiid Salamander, more often called the Korean salamander, is a small, brown, spotted salamander of the forested hills of the central and northern Korean Peninsula and northeastern China. It is not found in the wild in the United States. In early spring, each female lays a pair of clear, coiled s in pools and slow streams.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 3.5–5.5 in (9–14 cm) long including the tail. Brown with scattered black spots and a grayish-white belly. The head is rounded and flat, the eyes bulge, and the skin is smooth. It has four toes on the front feet and five on the back feet.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- forest streams
- wetlands
- rice field edges
- Range
- Central and northern Korean Peninsula, reaching parts of the southern interior, and northeastern China (Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang). It does not live in the wild in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Forested hills near streams and wetlands, hiding under rocks, leaf litter, and fallen logs.
Behavior
- Diet
- On land it eats small insects such as ants, plus earthworms and spiders; in water it takes amphipods and aquatic insects.
- Activity
- Mostly active at night.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- February–April in Korea
- Reproduction
- The female attaches one end of each coiled, sausage-shaped egg sac to a twig or similar object underwater. Larvae have three feathery on each side of the neck, and their front legs grow before the hind legs.
- Clutch size
- About 60–110 eggs per egg sac
Name and classification
- About the name
- Also known as the Korean salamander or Gensan salamander. For a long time almost every salamander of this type in Korea was called Hynobius leechii. Genetic studies since the 2000s have split off several southern Korean species, such as the Kori salamander (H. yangi) and the Jeju salamander (H. quelpaertensis), so older descriptions may mix in species that are now separate.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- In South Korea it is legally protected from capture, and export or import requires a permit.
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