One of the lineages identified in the study was named clade U2, but its exact geographic origin remained uncertain due to the only specimens being of farm-bred individuals.

This led to the discovery of a breeding population of giant salamanders in the Jiulingshan National Nature Reserve in Jing’an County, Jiangxi Province.

It is thought to be the sister group to all other identified Chinese Andrias lineages, including A. davidianus, A. sligoi, and several undescribed species.

It is known to have been densely distributed around two towns in Jing’an County prior to the 1990s, but by 2020, wild populations were only known from Jiulingshan National Nature Reserve.

[3] Due to its very small distribution that is vulnerable to environmental changes, it has been recommended that this species be classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.