Description

Apparently, this species is no longer considered a valid species. The original specimens from which this species was described were bought from a Hong Kong fish dealer by European researchers in the late 70s. The dealer sold them as “local fire-bellied newts” and claimed they were collected by a fisherman from the Hong Kong area of Guangdong Province, China. Later research concluded that there are no Cynops in the Hong Kong area and that the specimens were actually a subspecies of Japanese fire-bellied newts (Cynops pyrrhogaster) from Southern Japan which had been imported into Hong Kong and were being sold as “local fire-bellied newts.”

References

Risch, Jean-Paul and John D. Romer. 1980. Origin and Taxonomic Status of the Salamander Cynops shataukokensis. Journal of Herpetology. 14 (4):337-342.

Photos of preserved specimens of Cynops shataukokensis can be viewed at: Caudata.org Forum thread #48859.

Written by N. Nelson in January 2001.