Abstract: We collected 50 individuals ofPachyhynobius shangchengensis, an endemic species in China, in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve of Dabie Mountains from April 2014 to August 2018. We determined the ages of humerus, femur, phalanxes of finger, and phalanxes of foot by conventional paraffin section method, and compared their growth ring characteristics. According to the frequency data of body length distribution, the age was primarily determined as the reference, and then the precision and accuracy of humerus, femur, phalanxes of finger, and phalanxes of foot were compared in order to determine the suitable age identification materials. The toe was cut as a marker, and the bone age was identified according to the hard bone tissue materials obtained from field recapture to verify the accuracy of age identification and the rationality of age group division. The results showed that the total precision and accuracy of phalanxes of foot were the highest, followed by femur and humerus. For the individuals younger than 8 years old, the ring line of bone section was clear, and the bone age method was suitable for age identification. The second bone node of the third and fourth toe of hind limb was the best material for age identification. There was a significant correlation between age and body weight, body length and head length, with respective correlation coefficient of 0.975, 0.945 and 0.97. However, such correlation tended to  decrease for individuals older than 8 years.

Key words: Pachyhynobius shangchengensis, age determination, growth rate, skeletochronology, life history.