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Global amphibian declines have received increasing conservation concern,with about 30％of amphibian species now listed by IUCN as threatened.A large proportion of the amphibian fauna in China (27％) are currently classified as extinct or threatened on IUCN Red List.However,China has only recently started conservation assessments for amphibians,with conservation efforts being impeded by the lack of baseline ecological information.Giant spiny frog (Quasipaa spinosa) is a large stream breeding frog that inhabits only moderate to high-elevation forest.It occurs mainly in south China with a small population into northern Vietnam.In China,despite its China Red List and IUCN Red list status as Vulnerable,Q.spinosa is frequently hunted for food.I studied populations of Q.spinosa in Hong Kong by mark-recapture method.Density of frog ranges between 25-40 individuals per 200 m stream.Movement by individual frogs is limited,implying the species is territorial.Diet study revealed that Q.spinosa prey on mostly terrestrial insects.Q.spinosa is among the top predators of the food web in the forest stream ecosystem.Research on Q.spinosa in mainland China has focused primarily on breeding techniques on captive populations.More research on population ecology is needed to establish baseline information essential for development of comprehensive conservation programs for the amphibians of China.