Asiatic Salamanders: Hynobiidae

Physical characteristics: Japanese clawed salamanders are 4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 centimeters) long. The body is thin, and the tail is long. The back is brown with orange spots. There also are orange spots on the back of the head and on the legs. Orange stripes run along the center of the back. The larvae have clawlike structures on their toes. Adults have these "claws" only during the breeding season. Japanese clawed salamanders do not have lungs.

Geographic range: Japanese clawed salamanders live on two Japanese islands, Honshu and Shikoku.

Habitat: Japanese clawed salamanders live more than 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) above sea level. When they are not breeding, these salamanders live on land but very close to water. Their favorite places are under wet rocks or logs beside a stream. They also live under logs on the forest floor, in tree holes, and in other damp places.

Diet: Japanese clawed salamanders eat insects and their larvae, spiders, millipedes, snails, tadpoles, and fish larvae.

Japanese clawed salamanders live on two Japanese islands, Honshu and Shikoku. (© Joseph T. Collins/Photo Researchers, Inc.)

Behavior and reproduction: Scientists know how Japanese clawed salamanders reproduce but little else about how these salamanders behave. The males breed every two years, and the females breed every three years. The breeding season is in May, but in some areas it extends into June. The females lay eggs at night, usually at the source of a mountain stream. Each of the two egg sacs contains three to eight eggs, for a total of seven to fifteen eggs per female. Larvae take three years to finish metamorphosis.

Japanese clawed salamanders and people: Japanese clawed salamanders have no known importance to people.

Conservation status: Japanese clawed salamanders are not considered threatened or endangered. ∎