The First Observation of Breeding of the Long-tailed Clawed Salamander, Onychodactylus fischeri, in the Field

Abstract

Breeding of the long-tailed clawed salamander, Onychodactylus fischeri, was observed in the field for the first time. The breeding site was located within a brook in a cave. At the site, more males were observed than females. To inseminate a pair of egg sacs from each female, more than five males formed a mating ball. The oviposition site on the wall, whose upper margin was approximately 40 cm below the water surface, was 2 m wide and 1 m high. A total of 173 pairs of egg sacs were found at the site, of which most were attached to the side of rock walls in a brook.