An Isolated and Deeply Divergent Species from Fujian, China.

It is important to describe lineages before they go extinct, as we can only protect what we know. This is especially important in the case of microendemic species likely to be relict populations, such as salamanders in southern China. Here, we unexpectedly sampled individuals in Fujian province, China, and then worked on determining their taxonomic status. We describe sp. nov. based on molecular and morphological data. The lineage is deeply divergent and clusters with the other southern Chinese species based on the concatenated mtDNA gene fragments (>1500 bp), being the sister group to based on the gene fragment, despite their geographic distance. In terms of morphology, the species can be identified through discrete characters enabling identification in the field by eye, an unusual convenience in species. In addition, we noted some interesting life history traits in the species, such as vocalization and cannibalism. The species is likely to be incredibly rare, over a massively restricted distribution, fitting the definition of Critically Endangered following several lines of criteria and categories of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.