- Animals
- ›Chordates
- ›Vertebrates
- ›Amphibians
- ›Salamanders
- ›Asian Salamanders
- ›Clawed Salamanders
- ›Onychodactylus
Tsukuba Clawed Salamander
Onychodactylus tsukubaensis
Onychodactylus tsukubaensis, commonly known as Tsukuba clawed salamander, is a species of salamander endemic to Japan and belongs to the Hynobiidae family. This species of salamander is currently considered to be critically endangered.
From the article Onychodactylus tsukubaensis on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The Tsukuba clawed salamander can be identified by its well-defined ochre dorsal stripe. It has a dense speckled pattern throughout its body; the rest of its body color ranges from a grayish-brown to a dark gray. They have an oval-shaped head with a rounded snout. This species shows little-to-no dimorphism between sexes. It is noted to have a shorter tail than Onychodactylus japonicus.
Range & habitat
The Tsukuba clawed salamander has a very small range. It prefers colder climates and higher elevations, primarily being found only in the upper half of the Tsukuba and Kaba mountain ranges in eastern Japan. There are two known subpopulations, divided between the mountain ranges. It is found 350 m (1,150 ft) above sea level. It has been noted that this species of salamander may have the smallest distributional range of all salamanders endemic to Japan. The total extent of occurrence is about 63 km2 (24 sq mi).
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
Toxicity
The IUCN Red List has listed the Tsukuba clawed salamander as critically endangered. Its population is declining, still facing a number of threats. One major threat was the collection for use in the pet trade. This practice has become illegal in Japan since 2015, eliminating this threat to the population. Other major threats include: mining, logging, roads, and pollution of water and air. Although the Tsukuba clawed salamander is a protected species in Japan, it continues to suffer from habitat loss.
== References ==
Wikipedia: “Endangered”
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Onychodactylus tsukubaensis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 476827.