Yellow Spotted Salamander

Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus ranges from 158-189 mm total length in males, 138-180 mm in females. Head and body combined are similar in length to the tail. Head is somewhat flat, of equal length and width. No labial folds. The number of vomerine teeth ranges from 12-17 on each side. On the head, a thin groove runs from the back of the eye to the jugular folds, and another groove runs dorsally from the back of the head to the base of the tail. 11-12 costal grooves are present. Toe tips touch and sometimes overlap a bit when limbs are adpressed to the flank. There are four unwebbed toes on each forelimb and five unwebbed toes on each hindlimb. A noticeable but short tail fin fold is present. Skin is smooth.The dark purple dorsum is decorated unevenly with yellow, or dark yellow, irregular blotches. Individuals may vary in amount, size, and shape of the yellow blotches. Generally, yellow markings are smaller on the head, while larger markings occur on the dorsal trunk, and tiny scattered markings to no markings are present on the tail. The venter is light purple.Larvae are light brown, with upper labial folds, and a pair of tri-forked featherlike gills. The tailfin fold is wide and stretches all the way to the midpoint of the body. Toes are well formed and black at the tips.

This species occurs in China, and is known from the following Chinese provinces: Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan. It is found in the mountains, at elevations from 1158-2165 m above sea level, in shrubs and bushes. It hides under the protruding roots of bushes and within dirt tunnels during the day.

Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus lays a pair of egg sacs, with each containing 16-26 eggs in a linear string. Each egg sac is 140-270 mm long and 10-14 mm wide. Eggs are round, 5.5 mm in diameter, and pale or light gray in coloration. Larvae feed on insects and small crustaceans, and take up to 1.5-2 years to metamorphose.This species is rare.

The yellow-spotted salamander (Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus) is a species of salamander in the family Hynobiidae, endemic to China, where it is known from Nanchuan in Chongqing (formerly Sichuan), Suiyang in Guizhou, Lichuan in Hubei, and Sangzhi in Hunan Province. However, genetic methods have revealed cryptic species within the Liua–Pseudohynobius complex, and the actual distribution of the yellow-spotted salamander is turning out to be different. Only animals from Lichuan in Hubei and Sangzhi have been positively identified as being yellow-spotted salamanders, whereas animals collected from Nanchuan were described as a new species, P. jinfo, by Wei et al. in 2009.

The yellow-spotted salamander, known locally as fei, has a total length of 158–189 mm (6.2–7.4 in) in males and 138–180 mm (5.4–7.1 in) in females.