Chunerpeton tianyiensis is an extinct species of salamander from the Late Jurassic Daohugou Beds in Ningcheng County, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), China. It is the only species classified under the genus Chunerpeton.[1] It was a small animal measuring 18 cm in length.[2] It was neotenic, with the retention of external gills into adulthood. In the original description it was placed in Cryptobranchidae, which contains modern giant salamanders.[1] A redescription published in 2020 found it to be a stem-group caudatan outside the crown group of modern salamanders.[3] A 2021 study found it to be a member of Cryptobranchoidea outside of Cryptobranchidae.[4]
It lived with other primitive salamanders, e.g. Jeholotriton paradoxus Wang 2000, Liaoxitriton daohugouensis Wang 2004, and Pangerpeton sinensis Wang & Evans 2006 of the same age.