AmphibiaChina 中国两栖类.

Conservation Status (definitions)

IUCN Red List Status Account Vulnerable (VU) CITES No CITES Listing National Status None Regional Status None

Description
Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus ranges from 158-189 mm total length in males, 138-180 mm in females. Head and body combined are similar in length to the tail. Head is somewhat flat, of equal length and width. No labial folds. The number of vomerine teeth ranges from 12-17 on each side. On the head, a thin groove runs from the back of the eye to the jugular folds, and another groove runs dorsally from the back of the head to the base of the tail. 11-12 costal grooves are present. Toe tips touch and sometimes overlap a bit when limbs are adpressed to the flank. There are four unwebbed toes on each forelimb and five unwebbed toes on each hindlimb. A noticeable but short tail fin fold is present. Skin is smooth.

The dark purple dorsum is decorated unevenly with yellow, or dark yellow, irregular blotches. Individuals may vary in amount, size, and shape of the yellow blotches. Generally, yellow markings are smaller on the head, while larger markings occur on the dorsal trunk, and tiny scattered markings to no markings are present on the tail. The venter is light purple.

Larvae are light brown, with upper labial folds, and a pair of tri-forked featherlike gills. The tailfin fold is wide and stretches all the way to the midpoint of the body. Toes are well formed and black at the tips.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: China

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (1 records).

This species occurs in China, and is known from the following Chinese provinces: Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan. It is found in the mountains, at elevations from 1158-2165 m above sea level, in shrubs and bushes. It hides under the protruding roots of bushes and within dirt tunnels during the day.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors

Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus lays a pair of egg sacs, with each containing 16-26 eggs in a linear string. Each egg sac is 140-270 mm long and 10-14 mm wide. Eggs are round, 5.5 mm in diameter, and pale or light gray in coloration. Larvae feed on insects and small crustaceans, and take up to 1.5-2 years to metamorphose.

This species is rare.

References

Fei, L. and Ye, C. (2001). The Colour Handbook of the Amphibians of Sichuan. Chinese Forestry Publishing House, Beijing.

IUCN (2008). 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 10 October 2008.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus: Yellow-spotted Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/6648> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 25, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 25 Dec 2024.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.