Macedonian crested newt

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Macedonian crested newt
Benny Trapp Triturus macedonicus Greece.jpg

Macedonian crested newt ( Triturus macedonicus )

Systematics
Order : Tail amphibian (caudata)
Superfamily : Salamander relatives (Salamandroidea)
Family : Real salamanders (Salamandridae)
Subfamily : Pleurodelinae
Genre : Triturus
Type : Macedonian crested newt
Scientific name
Triturus macedonicus
( Karaman , 1922)

The Macedonian crested newt ( Triturus macedonicus ) is a Southeast European amphibian species from the genus Triturus . It has only been regarded as an independent species within the great crested newt species group for a few years . The Balkan crested newt ( Triturus arntzeni ) was assigned to the Macedonian crested newt in 2013 and has been a synonym for this species ever since .

features

The Macedonian crested newt is relatively large and can reach a total length of up to 20 centimeters. The color of the back is variable, the color variants range from olive green to shades of brown to black. On the sides at the transition from the flanks to the belly there are no or only a few white dots. The basic color of the throat is blackish, reddish-brown or orange. There are also many blackish or yellow spots on the throat.

The males' water load at mating season consists of a pointed, high crest. This begins in the region of the eyes, runs down the back and ends above the base of the tail. The upper edge of the skin on the tail is high and only slightly jagged. In females and young animals - unlike the closely related Alpine crested newt ( Triturus carnifex ) - there is no yellowish topline.

The Macedonian crested newt has 14 ribs supporting vertebrae . Thereby it differs anatomically from the Asiatic crested newt (13 rib-bearing vertebrae), from the northern crested newt (15 such vertebrae) and from the Danube crested newt (16 to 17 rib-bearing vertebrae).

Occurrence and habitat

The distribution area includes southern Serbia , Montenegro , parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina , Albania , Macedonia and northwest Greece . In 2007, the Macedonian crested newt was also discovered in southwestern Bulgaria at an altitude of 1650 m.

The species can be found from sea level up to altitudes of about 2000 meters above sea level. The Greek occurrences are almost exclusively limited to higher mountain regions. Different types of water bodies serve as spawning waters, including ponds, meltwater ponds and small mountain lakes without fish, but also ponds, ditches or concrete troughs for cattle. It is important that the spawning waters are well tanned.

The Macedonian crested newt, like the Alpine crested newt, prefers waters in open landscapes with varied bank vegetation. The species is said to have higher demands on its habitat than other newts. The body of water must be clean and, if possible, available all year round, and still have a dense vegetation of aquatic plants .

Way of life

Little is known about the way of life. Depending on the region and the weather, sexually mature crested newts can be found in the spawning waters from January or February. The length of time spent in the water varies from person to person, after which the animals migrate to their land habitats. The larvae overwinter in very cold mountain waters and only metamorphose in the following year . There is still no more detailed information on predators and food.

Systematics and taxonomy

The Macedonian crested newt was first described by Stanko Karaman in 1922 as Molge karelinii var. Macedonica . From karelinii Molge later Triturus karelinii , the Asian crested newt . It was not until 1999, after investigations of the mitochondrial genetic material , that it was recognized that this crested newt seemed to be more related to Triturus carnifex than to the Asian crested newt. So it was placed as a subspecies Triturus carnifex macedonicus to the Alpine crested newt . The new subspecies could be easily distinguished from the nominate form Triturus carnifex carnifex by its color . The spatial separation of the distribution areas of the two subspecies ( allopatry ), mainly by the Adriatic Sea , suggested a separate development going back at least five million years. Another molecular biological investigation showed that the genetic differences between the two subspecies were just as great as, for example, between the species Triturus marmoratus and Triturus pygmaeus . This finally prompted Triturus carnifex macedonicus to be elevated to a separate species under the scientific name Triturus macedonicus in 2007 .

In 2013, the Balkan crested newt ( Triturus arntzeni ) , which was also originally separated from the Asian crested newt ( Triturus karelinii ), first as a subspecies and then as a separate species, was assigned to the Macedonian crested newt .

supporting documents

literature

  • Dieter Glandt: Pocket dictionary of amphibians and reptiles in Europe . Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2010, pp. 211-212 ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8
  • Jan Willem Arntzen, Gonçalo Espregueira Themudo, Ben Wielstra: The phylogeny of crested newts (Triturus cristatus superspecies): nuclear and mitochondrial genetic characters suggest a hard polytomy, in line with the paleogeography of the center of origin. Contributions to Zoology , 76, 4, pp. 261-278, 2007

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ben Wielstra, SN Litvinchuk, Borislav Naumov, Nikolay Tzankov, Jan Willem Arntzen: A revised taxonomy of crested newts in the Triturus karelinii group (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa, 3682, 3, pp. 441-453, June 2013 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3682.3.5 .
  2. ↑ Borislav Naumov, Nikolay Tzankov: First record of Triturus macedonicus (Karaman, 1922) (Amphibia: Salamandridae) in Bulgaria. Historia naturalis bulgarica, 19, pp. 111–114, 2008 PDF ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nmnhs.com
  3. ↑ Ruža Ćirović, D. Radoić, and Tanja D. Vukov: Breeding Site Traits of European Newts (Triturus macedonicus, Lissotriton vulgaris, and Mesotriton alpestris: Salamandridae) in the Montenegrin Karst Region. Archives of Biological Sciences, Belgrade, 60, 3, pp. 459-468, Belgrad 2008 doi : 10.2298 / ABS0803459C PDF (English).
  4. ^ Jan Willem Arntzen, SFM Tenuis: A six-year study on the population dynamics of the crested newt Triturus cristatus following the colonization of a newly created pond. Herpetological Journal, 3, pp. 99-110, 1993.
  5. ↑ Jan Willem Arntzen, GP Wallis: Geographic variation and taxonomy of crested newts (Triturus cristatus superspecies): morphological and mitochondrial DNA data. Contributions to Zoology, 68, pp. 181-203, 1999.
  6. ↑ Jan Willem Arntzen, Gonçalo Espregueira Themudo, Ben Wielstra: The phylogeny of crested newts (Triturus cristatus superspecies): nuclear and mitochondrial genetic characters suggest a hard polytomy, in line with the paleogeography of the center of origin. Contributions to Zoology , 76, 4, pp. 261-278, 2007
  7. ↑ Litvinchuk, Borkin, Džukić, Kalezić, Khalturin & Rosanov: Taxonomic status of Triturus karelinii on the Balkans, with some comments about other crested newt taxa. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 6, pp. 153-163, 1999.

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