GIANT SALAMANDERS

Issue 9 Volume 5. Number 4 (2011-2012)

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 Table of Contents 

Survey techniques for giant salamanders (Cryptobranchidae) and other aquatic Caudata. Robert K Browne, Hong Li, Dale McGinnity, Sumio Okada, Wang Zhenghuan, Catherine M Bodinof, Kelly J Irwin, Amy McMillan, Jeffrey T Briggler. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 5(4):1-16(e34). Low resolution PDF 1185K High res. PDF 3388K

Summary: The fully aquatic Cryptobranchids are the world’s largest amphibians and the three described species range from threatened to critically endangered. Cryptobranchids present particular survey challenges because of their large demographic variation in body size from 3 cm larvae to 1.5 m adults, and the wide variation in their habitats and microhabitats. We review and compare the types and applications of survey techniques for Cryptobranchids and other aquatic Caudata from a conservation and animal welfare perspective.

The giant salamanders (Cryptobranchidae): Part A. palaeontology, phylogeny, genetics, and morphology. Robert K. Browne, Hong Li, Zhenghuan Wang, Paul M. Hime, Amy McMillan, Minyao Wu, Raul Diaz, Zhang Hongxing, Dale McGinnity, Jeffrey T. Briggler. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 5(4):17-29(e54). Low resolution PDF 2518KHigh res. PDF 2514K

Summary: The Cryptobranchidae, commonly called the Giant Salamanders, are the largest surviving amphibians and comprise two extant genera, Andrias and Cryptobranchus. Because of their iconic status as the world’s largest amphibians and their biopolitical significance, all cryptobranchids are subject to major and expanding initiatives for their sustainable management. Knowledge of a wide range of scientific in concert with cultural, political, and economic factors all contribute to cryptobranchid conservation biology and the formulation of optimal strategies for their sustainable management. However, there has previously been no comparative review of the numerous scientific fields contributing to the knowledge of cryptobranchids, and little peer-reviewed material on A. davidianus and A. japonicus has been published in English. Here we present the first article in a series about cryptobranchid salamanders, “The giant salamanders (Cryptobranchidae): Part A. paleontology, phylogeny, genetics, and morphology.”