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To list amphibian and reptile species and to determine the distribution of each species in Gwangneung forest, we surveyed the entire areas of the arboretum for amphibians and reptiles over 9 field trips between February and October in 2009. From the surveys, we confirmed the existence of 846 adult amphibians from 10 species and 106 adult reptiles from 11 species from each five families. Dominant amphibian and reptile species was Rana dybowskii and Scinsella vandenburghi, respectively. In special, we found Elaphe schrenckii, designated as an endangered Category I species by the Korean Ministry of Environment, Chinemys reevesii, designated as an endangered category II species as well as a natural monument by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, and Trachemys scripta elegans, designated as an environment disrupting wildlife in the arboretum. We presented the distribution map of each amphibian and reptile species in the arboretum. Our results indicate that this arboretum as a Biosphere Reserve designated by UNESCO could be a valuable area to conserve local amphibians and reptiles in the areas.

Understanding habitat characteristics of an endangered species in the field is critical to conserve or recover the endangered species. Mongolian racerunner, Eremias argus, is an endangered species designated by the Ministry of Environment of Korea, and it has found in coastal dunes, riparian areas, and mountain areas. In this study, we determined and compared the characteristics of E. argus habitat in coastal dunes and mountain areas where they are both present and absent. The sand dunes where E. argus are present have higher plant coverage than others. The grain size of the sand soil in the habitat is fine and medium and Elymus molis, Ischaemum anthephoroides, and Carex kobomugi are dominant plants. Various insects from 26 different families were found. The mountain areas where E. argus are present are composed of higher proportion of shrub and bare ground areas, but lower of tree areas than others. The grain size of the sand soil in the habitat is coarse and very coarse and plants from Gramineae and Fagaceae are dominant. Most lizards were observed on the bare ground where shrub is nearby.

Field and literature surveys were carried out to list the amphibian species in 66 islands, South Korea, between 2005 and 2010. As a result, we detected total 12 amphibian species in 6 families, 2 orders. Hynobius leechii and Hyla japonica were found in most surveyed islands. The southern limit for Rana rugosa’s distribution included Jindo, Wando, Chujado, Namhaedo and Geojedo islands and that for Bufo gargarizans included Oinarodo, Bogildo, Yeondo, Namhaedo and Geojedo islands. The distribution of Rana rugosa and Bufo gargarizans in Jejudo main island is not assured in this study. Rana plancyi chosenica was only found in Gangwhado island. Hynobius leechii, B. gargarizans, Rana dybowskii and R. rugosa were found in only few islands on this study.

The three known Hynobius species (H. leechii, H. quelpaertensis, and H. yangi) and three new candidate taxa (Hynobius clade1; HC1, Hynobius clade2; HC2, Hynobius clade3; HC3) are distributed in South Korea. Among the candidate taxa, HC2 is distributed in southeastern part of Jeollanam-do. Recent molecular and ecological data presumed that speciation has occurred in this group. Therefore it needs to demonstrate the species identification. We analyzed partial sequence of mitochondrial CO1 gene (1,097 bp) for HC2 using 46 individuals from four different localities. Based on phylogenetic analysis, HC2 was found to be distinct from other Hynobius species. The mean pairwise sequence divergence was 8.3% between HC2 and the other Hynobius species groups in South Korea. With salamanders that have ambiguous morphological characters, it is essential to distinguish the different species using molecular data. According to the pattern of phylogenetic tree composition and relatively large sequence divergence, we highly suggested the candidate taxon of HC2 to be elevated to the status of a new species of H. sp in the genus Hynobius in South Korea.

Amphibian specimens from the Korean peninsula, reserved in the museum of Tokyo University, were confirmed on October 11, 2010. Specimens in spirits were Bufo gargarizans, Bombina orientalis, Hyla japonica, Rana plancyi chosenica, R. rugosa, R. nigromaculata, R. coreana, R. dybowskii and R. chensinensis and skeletal specimens were R. nigromaculata and B. gargarizans, a total of 642 individuals from 9 species 4 families 1 order. Most specimens were preseved in spirits and kept in fine condition.

In this study, to describe characteristics of the spawning sites of Rana dybowskii we have surveyed a large number of wetlands in Jeju island during the breeding season (February to May) in 2009 and 2010. Rana dybowskii oviposited their eggs on the surface of the water at the edge areas of pond in the small and shallow ponds. As the spawning sites, R. dybowskii used shallow and small ponds where fish predators such as Crucian carps and mud fishes were absent. The water temperature in the spawning ponds was relatively high, but the salinity was low. The pH and oxygen between spawning and non-spawning ponds were not different.