First Report on Water Quality Parameters for Larvae of Two Species of Clawed Salamanders (<i>Onychodactylus zhaoermii</i> and <i>Onychodactylus zhangyapingi</i>)

Amphibian conservation is a rising concern due to the degradation of their habitat. Two species of elusive clawed salamanders, the Liaoning clawed salamanders (Onychodactylus zhaoermii) and the Jilin clawed salamanders (Onychodactylus zhangyapingi) were described in 2012 and are restricted to the mountain ranges between the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Owing to their unique anatomical and ecological characteristics, the two species are restricted to clear mountain streams contiguous to forests. There is very little information on the habitat requirements of these species, a crucial need to understand their sensitivity to the environment, their vulnerability to anthropogenic pressure, and hence conservation needs. In this study, we collected preliminary data on five water quality parameters for these two species in mountain streams during field surveys in China. Despite generally similar habitat requirements, we found O. zhaoermii in water with significantly higher levels of conductivity, TDS, and salinity than O. zhangyapingi though both species tolerate a similar range of water temperature (8 – 14°C) and water pH (8 – 10). Our study provides the first data on water quality requirements for these two little studied species and adds substantial information on the ecology of the poorly understood Liaoning and Jilin clawed salamanders.