The Qimen giant salamander (Andrias cheni) is a species of giant salamander in the family Cryptobranchidae.[1] It is endemic to Anhui Province, China, where it inhabits streams and caves in the Huangshan Mountains. The species name honors Pihui Chen, a herpetologist at Anhui Normal University. The common name references its type locality in Qimen County.[2]
| Qimen giant salamander | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Cryptobranchidae |
| Genus: | Andrias |
| Species: | A. cheni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Andrias cheni Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang, and Huang, 2023
| |
As with all other Chinese species of the genus Andrias, it was formerly lumped into Andrias davidianus, but its heavy genetic divergence from other members of the genus was known as early as 2001.[3] It was also identified as a distinct lineage in a 2018 study by Yan et al., who identified at least 7 highly endangered cryptic lineages, none of which were known to have wild populations and all of which are affected by extensive hybridization in captivity. One such lineage was "Clade E", identified from wild specimens caught before 1995 from the Huangshan Mountains.[4][5] "Clade E" was confirmed as representing a distinct, undescribed species in a study the following year, and was finally described as such in 2023.[6]
Unlike other Chinese giant salamander species, Andrias cheni was not extensively poached until recently, as it was previously avoided by local people due to its "ugly" appearance. However, the illegal trade in the species soared since the mid-1990s, and the wild population is now considered critically endangered.[2] Recent surveys were unsuccessful at finding any wild populations.[5] However, some genetically pure captive individuals are known in local breeding farms, which may prove essential in restoring wild populations.[2]
References
edit- ^ Frost, Darrell. "Andrias cheni Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang, and Huang, 2023". Amphibian Species of the World 6.2, an Online Reference.
- ^ a b c "欢迎访问动物学杂志". dwxzz.ioz.ac.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
- ^ Murphy, Robert W.; Fu, Jinzhong; Upton, Darlene E.; De Lema, Thales; Zhao, Er‐Mi (December 2001). "Genetic variability among endangered Chinese giant salamanders, Andrias davidianus". Molecular Ecology. 9 (10): 1539–1547. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.01036.x. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 11050549. S2CID 36062652.
- ^ Yan, Fang; Lü, Jingcai; Zhang, Baolin; Yuan, Zhiyong; Zhao, Haipeng; Huang, Song; Wei, Gang; Mi, Xue; Zou, Dahu; Xu, Wei; Chen, Shu; Wang, Jie; Xie, Feng; Wu, Minyao; Xiao, Hanbin (2018). "The Chinese giant salamander exemplifies the hidden extinction of cryptic species". Current Biology. 28 (10): R590–R592. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.004. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 29787716. S2CID 46896979.
- ^ a b Turvey, Samuel T.; Chen, Shu; Tapley, Benjamin; Wei, Gang; Xie, Feng; Yan, Fang; Yang, Jian; Liang, Zhiqiang; Tian, Haifeng; Wu, Minyao; Okada, Sumio; Wang, Jie; Lü, Jingcai; Zhou, Feng; Papworth, Sarah K. (2018). "Imminent extinction in the wild of the world's largest amphibian". Current Biology. 28 (10): R592–R594. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.005. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 29787717. S2CID 4075404.
- ^ Turvey, Samuel T.; Marr, Melissa M.; Barnes, Ian; Brace, Selina; Tapley, Benjamin; Murphy, Robert W.; Zhao, Ermi; Cunningham, Andrew A. (2019). "Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians". Ecology and Evolution. 9 (18): 10070–10084. Bibcode:2019EcoEv...910070T. doi:10.1002/ece3.5257. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 6787787. PMID 31624538.