Assessment Results
Andrias davidianus
Chinese Giant Salamander
Order:
Caudata
Family:
Cryptobranchidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
China
on:
04 May 2017
by:
Benjamin Tapley
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
China
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
61.18251793
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value 50-100 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | Unknown | Although there are a number of reserves that have been established to specifically protect the habitat of this species there are no recent or accurate estimates of wild populations. This species has undergone range wide decline which is likely to be more pronounced outside the PA network due to over exploitation and habitat loss / degradation. |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | As one of the primary threats to this species is unsustainable harvesting for meat or to stock salamander farms there are a number of protected areas which could potentially support translocated populations of this species throughout China. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | Yes, but outcome is unknown | Many salamander farms release a proportion of their stock to the wild each year. However there is little or no genetic or pathogen screening or post release monitoring and some of the sites where salamanders are released are not appropriate in terms of habitat. |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | ||
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | ||
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | ||
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | The threats to Chinese giant salamanders include habitat loss, pollution and unsustainable harvesting. These threats can be removed or reversed in some parts of their range. |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | Yes / probably | This species is traded for food and wild animals have been collected to stock salamander farms. The farming industry has grown rapidly over the last decade. Chinese giant salamanders are also being offered for sale as pets although the animals being sold most likely come from farms. |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Unknown | There have been very few studies to ascertain the status of Chinese giant salamanders. The studies that have been undertaken tend to focus on specific regions and are now largely out of date. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | Aspect of biology identified that is unique to species | This is the largest extant amphibian. |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | Yes | High economic value, features in Chinese mythology and has been depicted in Chinese art for centuries. |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | A lot is known about this species as it is farmed intensively. |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | ||
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | ||
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Yes, bred to F2 | This species has been bred in their millions as they are commercially farmed. Some breeding is reliant on hormones but farms are increasingly able to breed Chinese giant salamanders naturally due to husbandry improvements and the use of semi natural enclosures on farms, these farms are usually within the distributional range of the species and are fed by water from local rivers which the salamanders inhabit / inhabited. Therefore the seasonal changes experienced by salamanders on farms are natural. Chinese giant salamanders have been breed in closed systems in Europe but this is very rare (2 records). |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | Although it is not brightly coloured and largely nocturnal this species has a high educational potential as it is the largest extant amphibian has more than one local name, economically important and is culturally significant and a potential flagship species for the conservation of freshwater systems and watersheds. |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | Yes | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | Likely to be Within China only |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Unknown | Although there are millions of farmed salamanders these animals are likely unsuitable founders for conservation breeding programs. Ranavirus is present on farms and as there are no reliable anti-mortem screening techniques for this disease farm stock should not be used as founding stock for a conservation breeding program. Very few truly wild animals remain; many of the salamanders that have been encountered in recent years are likely animals released from farms or animals that have escaped from farms. |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | No | Due to the large range of this species it is likely that the populations from the three river basins in China have a different genetic profile. There has been considerable genetic pollution due to farm releases and it may be too late to identify or conserve the different genetic units. There are unconfirmed reports of this species occurring in Qinghai a high altitude plateau, if this is the case this population is likely to be genetically distinct. |
Citation:
Benjamin Tapley. 2017. Conservation Needs Assessment for Andrias davidianus, China.
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/4049
Accessed 19 May 2024
