Abstract: Chinese giant salamander ( Andrias davidianus ) is an endangered amphibian in China. The species is currently listed in annex I of CITES and in class II of the national list of protected animals in China, even though its status is not clear. Chinese giant salamander has declined steeply in both distribution range and population number since the 1950s because of excessive hunting for commercial trade and loss of habitat. The quantity of purchase of Chinese giant salamander in Hunan and Anhui Province declined over 80% from 1950s to 1970s. The salamander survives now in 17 provinces of China, mainly in the mountainous areas of the middle Yangtze River. Illegal hunting in the wild and loss of habitats are still major threats to Chinese giant salamander survival in some established reserves. The problems of these reserves are lack of funds and personnel, as well as ineffective management. We make some recommendations for conservation management of the Chinese giant salamander.

Key words: module of root, rhizome and leaf, growth and development, principal component analysis (PCA), Taibai Mountain