''Onychodactylus fischeri'' is a lungless salamander found in
Northeast Asia. It ranges through northeastern China, the
Russian Far East, and the
Korean Peninsula, but is only sporadically distributed within this range. Within
South Korea, it is found chiefly in the high mountain valleys of
Gangwon
Gangwon or Kangwŏn may refer to:
* Gangwon Province (historical), the Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Korean province
* Gangwon Province (South Korea), a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Kore ...
province, including the
Gwangdeoksan and
Daeseongsan regions. The adults feed on spiders, grubs, and insects. Common names include Fischer's clawed salamander and long-tailed clawed salamander.
It has 78 chromosomes in total (27 pairs of
microchromosome
A microchromosome (μChr) is a type of very small chromosome which is a typical component of the karyotype of birds, some reptiles, fish, and amphibians; they have yet to be found in mammals. They are less than 20 Mb in size; chromosomes which a ...
s, six pairs of medium-sized chromosomes, and six pairs of large chromosomes).
''Onychodactylus fischeri'' is known to live at elevations up to 1000 m, and favors thickly-vegetated stretches of pebble-bottomed mountain streams, with little direct sunlight. It may also be found near underground springs. The mating season is from mid-March to mid-May. The eggs are laid in streams; the aquatic larvae emerge after approximately 5 weeks. It is threatened by habitat change, such as tree felling in stream headwaters.
The adult males of the species are 17–18 cm long; adult females are slightly longer, 18–19 cm. The dorsal aspect is yellowish brown, with bands of dark brown spots throughout. The ventral aspect is lighter in color, without spots. The head is small, flat and oval. The skin is smooth overall, but with one groove running along the center of the back. The tail is longer than the head and body combined, a fact from which the salamander takes its common name.
References
*
External links
*
*
eb application 2010. Berkeley, California
''Onychodactylus fischeri'' AmphibiaWeb, available at https://web.archive.org/web/20040827082534/http://www.amphibiaweb.org/ (Accessed: November 20, 2010).
fischeri
Amphibians described in 1886
Amphibians of China
Amphibians of Korea
Amphibians of Russia
{{Salamander-stub