The Chinhai spiny newt (''Echinotriton chinhaiensis'') is a 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 ...

in the family Salamandridae, found only in a small section of

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

province in eastern China. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are temperate

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, freshwater

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es, and

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...

s. The Chinhai spiny newt is unique to the

Beilun District (; Wu: ''Poh-len Chiu'') is a district of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, China. It is dominated by Beilun port, an international port of the easternmost edge of the southern coast of Hangzhou Bay. It primarily services the regional city of Ningbo. ...

east of

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. Includes a photograph and detailed description of the species. Observations of captive animals suggest the Chinhai spiny newt is a late-maturing, long-lived species: they reach sexual maturity at 10 years age or later, and their lifespans are at least 20 years.

References

Rolling animals Newts Amphibians described in 1932 Amphibians of China Endemic fauna of Zhejiang Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Critically endangered fauna of China {{Salamandridae-stub