In recent years, the decline of amphibians on a worldwide scale is an indisputable fact . Therefore, finding the critical factors responsible for the population decline is a major challenge for amphibian conservation. Habitat destruction, biological invasions, pollution, overexploitation, and climate change all have been identified as the general causes for population loss.Understanding the profound causes continues to be a riving force for amphibian conservation .

Knowledge of life history is important for understanding possible connections to population declines. Here, we investigated the female age structure and fecundity of Echinotriton chinhaiensis, one of the most endangered salamanders in the world, using skeletochronology based on specimens collected in 2008 and 2009 from a population in Ruiyansi, northeast of Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.

The results showed that most female salamanders were between 5 and 6 years of age, with the minimal reproductive age, predicted to be 3 years, and the clutch size correlated to the body size. Researchers argue that both delayed attainment of sexual maturity and low fecundity make this species more vulnerable to extinction.

Pro.XIE Feng's team from Chengdu Institute of Biology conducted this research.