Species information
Scientific name: Echinotriton raffaellii
Japanese name: アマミイボイモリ
Chinese name: 奄美棘螈
English name: Amami crocodile newt
Origin: Tokunoshima, Amami Oshima, Kakeromajima
Ecology and description
This species is one of the most primitive in the family Salamandridae, hence it is often referred to as a living fossil. It is named for its rib protrusions. The species is rare and threatened by poaching.
The populations on Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima have been classified as a new species, Amami crocodile newt Echinotriton raffaellii (2022). The species name honors the French caudate researcher Dr. Jean Raffaëlli. The Japanese common name for the Amami population of the Ryukyu crocodile newt also changed to Amami crocodile newt.
Amami crocodile newt is slightly smaller than Okinawa crocodile newt, with more prominent rib protrusions. Its rib tips may sometimes have an orange-red tint. Among the populations, those on Amami Oshima are fewer than those on Tokunoshima, possibly due to competition with Amami Sword-tail newt on Amami Oshima, resulting in a smaller population.
The genus Echinotriton includes two other species: the Chinhai salamander (Echinotriton chinhaiensis) from Zhejiang Province, China, and the mountain salamander (E. maxiquadratus) from southern China, both of which provide evidence that the Central Ryukyu was once part of the continent.
References: Website of the paper’s author
Field photographs taken during our tours, with observation dates
