Discovery of ex situ individuals of Andrias sligoi, an extremely endangered species and one of the largest amphibians worldwide

The South China giant salamander, Andrias sligoi , is one of the largest extant amphibian species worldwide. It was recently distinguished from another Chinese species, the Chinese giant salamander, Andrias davidianus , which is considered Critically Endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It appears too late to save this extremely rare and large amphibian in situ. Another extant species of the same genus, Andrias japonicus , inhabits Japan. However, the introduction of Chinese giant salamanders into some areas of Japan has resulted in hybridization between the Japanese and Chinese species. During our genetic screening of giant salamanders in Japan, we unexpectedly discovered four individuals of the South China giant salamander: two were adult males in captivity, and one had recently died. The last individual was a preserved specimen. In this study, we report these extremely rare individuals of A. sligoi in Japan and discuss the taxonomic and conservational implications of these introduced individuals.