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Chinhai Spiny Crocodile Salamander, Echinotriton chinhaiensis Chang (1932)

The Chinhai salamander (Echinotriton chinhaiensis) is one of the rarest amphibian species endemic to China. The species is only found in a small area in the Beilun district, Zhejiang province, in China. Suitable habitat should provide sufficient cover for the eggs and appropriate water bodies for the development of larvae.

The morphological, behavioral, genetic and ecological habit of this animal had been studied. In morphologically, this species is a stout salamander with flattened body and head, and with a series of ca. 12 conspicuous knob-like, porous lateral glands. The head is broad and triangular in shape. It is uniformly dark brown or black on the dorsal and ventral sides, with only the underside of the tail, cloacal region, and the soles of the feet yellow-oranged. The skin is granular. Vomero-palatine teeth V-shaped, arranged in two longitudinal series, meeting in front. Total length is approximately 12 cm in males and 14 cm in females, the tail is usually shorter than the snout-vent length (Chang 1932, 1936; Cai & Fei 1984; Ye et al. 1993). There is no obvious morphological distinction between the sexes. In both sexes the cloacal opening consists of a longitudinal slit. When slightly opened, the cloaca of the female is smooth on the inside, whereas that of the male is more rugose. When carrying eggs, females have distended abdomens. In the male the vent is swollen during the mating season. Genetic diversity within the only known population is not significantly low (Xie 1999).

Hibernation takes place from November to February. In the reproductive season, only the females move to the oviposition sites. Males are found rarely. Mating takes place on land and has only been observed in the laboratory (Sparreboom et al. 2001). The male approaches the female and deposits several spermatophores on land. The couple makes a circular movement, in the course of which the female is led over the spermatophore. Echinotriton chinhaiensis mates between February and March, while the female lays eggs from late March to late April (Xie et al. 2000). The female normally produces 70-100 quite big eggs which are deposited on land, in one or several clutches (Cai & Fei 1984). Communal nesting sites may contain several superimposed layers of eggs. Both migrating to oviposition site and hatching of the larvae appear to be related to rainfall. The female does not attend to the eggs and moves out of the breeding site immediately after egg-laying. After about three to four weeks, in May, the larvae are flushed out of the terrestrial oviposition sites by rains and are capable of finding their way to water by wriggling over land and leaping to some cm above the ground (Xie 1999; Xie et al. 2000). Balancers may be observed 4 to 5 days after oviposition; they are absorbed some five days later. Larvae are without balancers at the time of hatching and measure approx. 20 mm. From egg to metamorphosis takes ca 110 days. Newly metamorphosed salamanders with a total length of 34 to 40 mm climb on land in August (Cai & Fei 1984; Xie et al. 2001). The species feeds on earth worms, snails and other small invertebrates.

Conservation
Road construction and deforestation contribute to fragmentation of the scarce habitats and to a decrease in populations and number of individuals; pollution of the breeding habitat is a serious threat (Xie et al. 2000). Cai & Fei (1984) and Fei (1992) signaled that the habitat was rapidly converted to tea plantations, and other agriculture. The Ruiyansi population seems healthy but is isolated and vulnerable, and is therefore considered endangered. As a consequence, in 1988 E. chinhaiensis was listed in the grade 2^th  category of major state protected wildlife (Zhao 1988), which implies that since that time the capture and handling of this salamander licensed by the state government since that time. This species was further thought as endangered in Chinese red book by Zhao (1998) or critical endangered by GAA (Global Amphibian Assessment) in 2002.

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