Andrias cheni Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang & Huang, 2023
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Qimen giant salamander (Andrias cheni) is a species of giant salamander in the family Cryptobranchidae. It is endemic to Anhui Province, China, where it inhabits streams and caves in the Huangshan Mountains. The species name honors Pihui Chen, a herpetologist at Anhui Normal University. The common name references its type locality in Qimen County. As with all other Chinese species of the genus Andrias, it was formerly lumped into Andrias davidianus, but its heavy genetic divergence from other members of the genus was known as early as 2001. It was also identified as a distinct lineage in a 2018 study by Yan et al., who identified at least seven highly endangered cryptic lineages, none of which were known to have wild populations and all of which are affected by extensive hybridization in captivity. One such lineage was "Clade E", identified from wild specimens caught before 1995 from the Huangshan Mountains. "Clade E" was confirmed as representing a distinct, undescribed species in a study the following year, and was finally described as such in 2023.
Wikipedia contributors, Qimen giant salamander; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:09:01.425980+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Andrias cheni Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang & Huang, 2023
- Name authority
- Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang & Huang, 2023
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Cryptobranchidae
- Genus
- Andrias
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familyCryptobranchidae Fitzinger, 1826
- genusAndrias Tschudi, 1837
- speciesAndrias cheni Xu, Gong, Li, Jiang, Huang & Huang, 2023
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Andrias. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Giant SalamanderAndrias davidianus (Blanchard, 1871) | CryptobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andrias jiangxiensis Lu, Wang, Chai, Yi, Peng, Murphy, Zhang & Che, 2022 | CryptobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andrias sligoi (Boulenger, 1924) | CryptobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1269842 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:V5B4G. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.