Cryptobranchoidea is a suborder of salamanders found in the eastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. They are known as primitive salamanders, in contrast to Salamandroidea

Salamandroidea

Salamandroidea is a suborder of salamanders, referred to as advanced salamanders. The members of the suborder are found worldwide except for Antarctica, Southern Sahara, and Oceania. They differ from suborder Cryptobranchoidea as their angular and prearticular bones in their lower jaw are fused and...

, or advanced salamander.

Some species of the fully aquatic Cryptobranchidae family are known as giant salamanders due to their large size.

Description

This suborder contains only two families in the present times. Other families went extinct in the past and are only known as fossils.

• Cryptobranchidae
• Hynobiidae