This is a list of amphibian species found in the wild in Korea, including the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. A total of 20 species of amphibians are known from Korea; this includes two species of salamander that were not discovered until the 21st century.
This list treats the taxonomic designations found in Frost (2007) as authoritative. There have been major revisions of amphibian taxonomy, including the taxonomy of many Korean species, since the late 20th century. This has included studies which have found species such as the Korean brown frog and Imienpo Station frog, which were previously considered to be Korean varieties or subspecies of more widespread species, to be distinct. It has also included a wholesale revision of the taxonomy of the Ranidae, or true frogs—for example, the common dark-spotted frog was formerly classified as Rana nigromaculata but is now classified as Pelophylax nigromaculatus.
The following abbreviations are used in the list: I: International status, as given in the IUCN Red List K: General status in Korea, as given in various sources SK: Legal status in South Korea NK: Legal status in North Korea
Salamanders
Common name (Korean name) Species (Authority) Preferred habitat Range StatusHynobiidae - 5 speciesKorean salamander ()Hynobius leechii (Boulenger, 1887)Mountain forestsThroughout mainlandAbsent from Jeju and some coastal regions, according to Yang (2001), p. 40.I: Least Concern SK: ProtectedMinistry of Environment (2005).Jeju salamander ()Hynobius quelpaertensis (Mori, 1928)Montane wetlandsSouthwestern islands and peninsulas, including JejuI: Data Deficient SK: ProtectedKori salamander ()Hynobius yangi (Kim, Min, & Matsui, 2003)Moist mountain forestsFar southeastern South KoreaHas been collected only in the vicinity of the Kori nuclear power station in Gijang-gun, northern Busan (Yang 2001, p. 44).I: Endangered SK: ProtectedLong-tailed clawed salamander ()Onychodactylus fischeri (Boulenger, 1886)High in forested mountain streamsThroughout mainlandI: Least Concern SK: Threatened, ProtectedSiberian salamander ()Salamandrella keyserlingii (Dybowski, 1870)Wet and riparian forestsNortheasternmost North KoreaI: Least Concern NK: Natural MonumentThe "Hapsu Salamander Habitat" of this species in Paegam, North Hamgyong, is designated North Korean Natural Monument #360. Plethodontidae - 1 speciesKorean crevice salamander ()Karsenia koreana (Min et al., 2005)Mossy limestone rockslides in oak-pine forestsSouthwestern South KoreaI: Least Concern
Frogs and toads
Common name (Korean name) Species (Authority) Preferred habitat Range StatusBombinatoridae - 1 speciesOriental fire-bellied toad
()Bombina orientalis (Boulenger, 1890)Well-vegetated wetlandsThroughoutI: Least ConcernBufonidae - 3 speciesAsiatic toad ()Bufo gargarizans (Cantor, 1842)WidespreadThroughoutPossibly extirpated on Jeju, according to Yang 2001, p. 50.I: Least Concern SK: ProtectedKorean water toad ()Bufo stejnegeri (Schmidt, 1931)Riparian mountain forestsCentral KoreaSeldom found south of Gangwon-do, but has been collected from Jirisan, according to Yang 2001, p. 52.I: Least Concern K: Rare SK: ProtectedMongolian toad ()Pseudepidalea raddei (Strauch, 1876)Dry, sandy soilNorth KoreaI: Least ConcernHylidae - 2 speciesJapanese treefrog
()Hyla japonica (Günther, 1859)WidespreadThroughoutI: Least ConcernSuwon treefrog ()Hyla suweonensis (Kuramoto, 1980)WidespreadWest central Korea. Collected along the western coast from Ganghwado to Iksan.Yang 2001, p. 56I: Data Deficient SK: ProtectedMicrohylidae - 1 speciesBoreal digging frog ()Kaloula borealis (Barbour, 1908)Near cultivated fieldsThroughoutI: Least Concern SK: EndangeredRanidae - 8 speciesKorean brown frog ()Rana coreanaPreviously considered a subspecies of Rana amurensis, but determined to be a distinct species by . Accepted by Foster (2007). (Okada, 1928)Near cultivated fieldsThroughoutThe boundary between this species' range and the range of Rana amurensis is not known with certainty.I: Least Concern SK: Protected NK: Natural MonumentThe habitat of this species on Kuwolsan in Unryul, South Hwanghae, is designated North Korean Natural Monument #146. Dybowski's frog
()Rana dybowskii (Günther, 1876)ForestsThroughoutI: Least Concern SK: ProtectedHuanren frog ()Rana huanrenensis (Fei, Ye & Huang, 1991)High mountain streamsSporadic throughout mainlandI: Least Concern SK: ProtectedDark-spotted frog
()Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell, 1861)Stagnant water in forests and meadowsThroughoutI: Near ThreatenedSeoul frog ()Pelophylax chosenicusPer Frost (2007). Given as Rana plancyi in Yang (2001) and older records, and as Rana chosenica in the IUCN Red List. (Okada, 1931)Ponds and rice paddiesWestern KoreaNot found on Jeju in recent surveys, according to Yang (2001), p. 68.I: Vulnerable SK: EndangeredImienpo Station frog ()Glandirana emeljanoviPer Frost (2007). Previously considered a single species with the Japanese wrinkled frog, Glandirana rugosa. (Nikolskii, 1913)Slow streams and wetlandsThroughout mainlandI: Least ConcernAmerican bullfrog
()Rana catesbeiana Shaw, 1802Stagnant watersThroughoutNot confirmed in the wild on Jeju (Yang 2001, p. 72).I: Least Concern K: Invasive
See also List of mammals of Korea List of reptiles of Korea List of freshwater fish of Korea
Notes
References Unofficial English translations are marked with angle brackets, <>.
Frost, Darrel R. (2007) Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.0 (1 February 2007). Electronic Database accessible at https://web.archive.org/web/20071024033938/http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
External links
Rare and endangered reptiles and amphibians of Korea Protected species of South Korea