Hynobius sonani | |
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Model in National Taiwan Museum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Family: | Hynobiidae |
Genus: | Hynobius |
Species: | H. sonani
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Binomial name | |
Hynobius sonani (Maki, 1922)
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Synonyms | |
Salamandrella sonani Maki, 1922 |
Hynobius sonani, the Taichū salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Hynobiidae, endemic to Taiwan, where it occurs in the Central Mountain Range above 2,750 m (9,020 ft).[1] Its natural habitats are from open alpine habitats to shaded moist evergreen forests; it breeds in streams.[2]
Adult males are 98–129 mm (3.9–5.1 in) and females are 90–105 mm (3.5–4.1 in) in length.[3]
The original specimens used to describe H. sonani (along with H. arisanensis and H. formosanus) were lost in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[4]
Hynobius sonani has very fragmented distribution and is threatened by habitat loss, mainly caused by the development of infrastructure for tourism.[1] It is present in Taroko National Park.[1]