Andrias
Genus of amphibians
title: "Andrias" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cryptobranchidae", "amphibian-genera", "taxa-named-by-johann-jakob-von-tschudi", "extant-miocene-first-appearances"] description: "Genus of amphibians" topic_path: "general/cryptobranchidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrias" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of amphibians ::
| fossil_range = | image = Andrias_japonicus_cropped.jpg | image_caption = Andrias japonicus | taxon = Andrias | authority = Tschudi, 1837 | type_species = Andrias japonicus | type_species_authority = Temminck, 1836 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 7 (including 2 extinct), see text | synonyms = Megalobatrachus
Andrias is a genus of giant salamanders. It includes the largest salamanders in the world, with A. japonicus reaching a length of 1.44 m, and A. sligoi reaching 1.80 m. While extant species are known only from East Asia, several extinct species in the genus are known from late Oligocene and Neogene aged fossils collected in Europe and North America, indicating that the genus formerly had a much wider range.
Taxonomy
The generic name derives from Ancient Greek ἀνδριάς, "statue". The former name was Megalobatrachus, from Ancient Greek meaning "giant frog".
Phylogeny
This phylogeny is based on Chai et al (2022). and Vasilyan et al (2013) |1=Cryptobranchus alleganiensis |label2=Andrias |2={{clade |1=Andrias scheuchzeri |2={{clade |1=Andrias japonicus |2={{clade |1=Andrias cheni |2={{clade |1=Andrias jiangxiensis |2={{clade |1=Andrias sp. |2={{clade |1=Andrias davidianus (Andrias sp. B & C) |2={{clade |1=Andrias sligoi |2=Andrias sp. "U1" Alternative phylogeny by Fang et al (2018).
|1=Cryptobranchus alleganiensis |label2=Andrias |2={{clade |1=Andrias scheuchzeri |2={{clade |1=Andrias japonicus |2={{clade |1=Andrias sp. "A" |2={{clade |1=Andrias davidianus (Andrias sp. B & C) |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Andrias sligoi |2=Andrias sp. "U1" |2={{clade |1=Andrias jiangxiensis |2=Andrias cheni
Species
Extant species
::data[format=table]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrias cheni | Qimen giant salamander | Eastern China (Huangshan Mountains in Anhui Province) | |
| [[File:2009 Andrias davidianus.JPG | 120px]] | Andrias davidianus | Chinese giant salamander |
| [[File:Andrias japonicus in KYOTO AQUARIUM13-r.jpg | 120px]] | Andrias japonicus | Japanese giant salamander |
| [[File:Andrias jiangxiensis.png | frameless | 182x182px]] | Andrias jiangxiensis |
| [[File:AndriasSligoi.jpg | 120px]] | Andrias sligoi | South China giant salamander |
| :: |
Based on genetic evidence, there may be more extant species in the genus. A study in 2018 found that A. davidianus sensu lato was a species complex that consisted of at least five different species. A. sligoi, which was formerly synonymized with A. davidianus, was revived in 2019 for one of these populations. Another one of these was described as A. jiangxiensis in 2022, and another as A. cheni in 2023.
Fossil species
::data[format=table]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Andrias matthewi size comparison.jpg | 80px]] | †Andrias matthewi | Matthew's giant salamander | United States and Canada |
| [[File:Andrias schleuchzeri.jpg | 60px]] | †Andrias scheuchzeri | Central Europe, possibly Central Asia and Western Siberia | |
| :: |
References
- AmphibiaWeb - Andrias japonicus. Accessed 2008-04-08.
- AmphibiaWeb - Andrias davidianus. Accessed 2008-04-08.
- Amphibian Species of the World 5.1. Accessed 2008-04-10.
References
- "Fossilworks: Andrias".
- (2022-05-18). "Discovery of a wild, genetically pure Chinese giant salamander creates new conservation opportunities". Zoological Research.
- (2013). "A new giant salamander (Urodela, Pancryptobrancha) from the Miocene of Eastern Europe (Grytsiv, Ukraine)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
- (2018). "The Chinese giant salamander exemplifies the hidden extinction of cryptic species". Current Biology.
- Nishikawa, Kanto. (2024-01-31). "Discovery of ex situ individuals of Andrias sligoi, an extremely endangered species and one of the largest amphibians worldwide". Scientific Reports.
- (2018-05-29). "5 Giant Salamander Species Identified—And They're All in Danger".
- (2019). "Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians". Ecology and Evolution.
- Chai, Jing. (2022-05-18). "Discovery of a wild, genetically pure Chinese giant salamander creates new conservation opportunities". Zoological Research.
- Frost, Darrell. "''Andrias cheni'' Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang, and Huang, 2023".
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