Amphibians · Caudata · Hynobiidae

Japanese Black Salamander

Hynobius nigrescens

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The Japanese black salamander is a hynobiid endemic to Japan, characteristic of the heavy-snow regions of Honshu. It breeds as soon as the thaw begins, sometimes in pools still partly frozen, and lays its eggs in two spiral-shaped gelatinous sacs that it attaches to submerged branches.

Size

9 cm – 18 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

Temperate forestMountainFreshwaterInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Amphibian Temperate forest Mountain Freshwater

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Fun facts

It breeds on the ice: it emerges as soon as the thaw begins and lays its eggs in pools that still carry sheets of ice, making use of the first days of open water in spring.
Its clutches are two spiral-shaped gelatinous sacs, almost transparent, which the female attaches to submerged branches and which the male fertilises from outside.
The hynobiids are a salamander family found almost only in eastern Asia, with dozens of Japanese species of very restricted range, several of them described in the last decade.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Damp montane forest and heavy-snow areas of central and northern Honshu, in Japan
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in meltwater pools and streams
Litter / clutch size: 100 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/