''Ranodon'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

s in the family

Hynobiidae The Asiatic salamanders (family Hynobiidae) are primitive salamanders found all over Asia, and in European Russia. They are closely related to the giant salamanders (family Cryptobranchidae), with which they form the suborder Cryptobranchoidea. A ...

. It currently contains only one species, the Central Asian salamander (''Ranodon sibiricus''). The species lives in streams and has reduced lungs. It was previously assumed the fertilization was the opposite of that other salamanders with external fertilization, with the male first depositing a large mass of sperm, which the female then placed her eggs on. But this appears to have been an error, and that the male fertilize the eggs only after the female has laid them.Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Urodela
/ref> Formerly in this genus were: * Wushan salamander (''Liua shihi'') * Tsinpa salamander (''Liua tsinpaensis'') * Yellow-spotted salamander (''Pseudohynobius flavomaculatus'')

Distribution

The Central Asian salamander is found in the

Dzungarian Alatau The Dzungarian Alatau (, ''Züüngaryn Alatau''; ; , ''Jetısu Alatauy''; , ''Dzhungarskiy Alatau'') is a mountain range that lies on the boundary of the Dzungaria region of China and the Jetisu, Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan. It has a length of ...

mountains on the border of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. Its natural habitat is temperate forest,

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

, temperate grassland, rivers, and freshwater marshes, and springs. The species is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

References

Monotypic amphibian genera Taxa named by Karl Kessler {{salamander-stub