Subfamily Plethodontinae Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Plethodontidae Scientific name Karsenia koreana Higher classification Karsenia Order Salamander | |
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Genus KarseniaMin et al., 2005 Similar Salamander, Plethodontinae, Hydromantes, Korean salamander, Many‑lined salamander | ||
The Korean crevice salamander (Karsenia koreana) is a lungless salamander. It dwells under rocks in limestone forest areas of the Korean peninsula. It was discovered by Stephen J. Karsen, an American science teacher working in Daejeon, South Korea, in 2005.
Although plethodontid salamanders comprise seventy percent of salamander species worldwide, Karsenia koreana is the first member of this taxon known from Asia. Like other plethodontids, it lacks lungs and breathes through its moist skin.
Cladistic analysis using Bayesian analysis of molecular data places Karsenia koreana as sister group to the clade containing Aneides and the desmognathine salamanders. This implies that plethodontid salamanders may have had a worldwide range 60 to 100 million years ago. As the global climate cooled, New World taxa thrived while Old World populations declined. Other plants and animals currently found in Asia and North America share close relationships, showing a similar pattern of biogeography.
The species occurs in damp talus slopes and rockslides of limestone in young forests dominated by Pinus densiflora and Quercus mongolica, mostly under small stones. Although the species is considered locally common, and reasonably widespread, it has not been well studied in the field. Thus, its natural history, population dynamics, and reproductive behavior remain unknown.
