The Korean salamander (''Hynobius leechii''), or Gensan salamander, is the most common species of
salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
on the
Korean peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, and is also found and on
Jeju Island and in the north-eastern Chinese provinces of
Liaoning,
Jilin
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...
and
Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...
. It typically lives on forested hills, and from time to time mass deaths occur in Korea when salamanders encounter man-made drainage structures. This has prompted Korean government officials to execute a series of mass evacuations in heavily salamandered areas.
Subspecies
*''Hynobius leechi quelpartensis''
See also
*
List of amphibians of Korea
This is a list of amphibian species found in the wild in Korea, including the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. A total of 20 species of amphibians are known from Korea; this includes two species of salamander that were not discovered until the 2 ...
*
Korean crevice salamander
*
Kori salamander
*
Jiyul - Buddhist nun who fasted to stop destruction of Korean salamander lands
by (1962) Robert G. Webb, J. Knox Jones, Jr., and George W. Byers in University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 149–173, January 31, 1962.
References
External links
Caudata Culture entry*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1065311
Hynobius
Amphibians described in 1928
Amphibians of China
Amphibians of Korea