Luschan's salamander
| Luschan's salamander | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Salamandridae |
| Genus: | Lyciasalamandra |
| Species: | L. luschani
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| Binomial name | |
| Lyciasalamandra luschani (Steindachner, 1891)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Molge luschani Steindachner, 1891 | |
Luschan's salamander or Lycian salamander (Lyciasalamandra luschani) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in the southwestern Anatolia in Turkey and in adjacent Greece (the island of Kastellorizo and its satellites).[1][2]
Description
Luschan's salamander is brown with small yellow dots dorsally, yellow or whitish laterally, and flesh-colored ventrally. The eyes are prominent, as are the narrow paratoid glands. The tail is thin. Males have a protruding "spike" at the base of their tails on the dorsal surface. Adults may grow to 13 cm (5.1 in) in total length.[3]Luschan’s salamander is also known as Lyciasalamandra luschani basoglui and was formerly known as Mertensiella luschani (Veinth). The salamander is said to be a land-dwelling animal that is typically more active during the rainy or wet season from November to April within the Mediterranean(polymeni 2011) . The salamander is especially active at night because it is a nocturnal species. [4] Additionally, in one study studying the diets of these salamanders, scientists found that males and females tended to have similar weights.[4] There was a trend suggesting that females might weigh more but this was not statistically significant.[4]
Previous studies have separated male and female salamanders through common secondary sexual characteristics. [5] Males can be distinguished by the protuberance near the tail which is absent in both females and juvenile salamanders. [5] The females, however, have a cloaca that can be used to determine their sex.[5]Juvenile salamanders possess neither the cloaca nor protuberance. [5] One study has also shown that females tended to have a larger snout to vent length than males. However, males had a significantly larger maximum snout to vent length compared to females [5]
Reproduction
Luschan's salamanders are viviparous. Females give birth to two offspring that are produced from each of the female's two oviducts. Gestation time ranges from 5-8 months.[6]
Habitat and status
Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss. One of the subspecies, M. 1.helverseni, is known to be found within a pine forest on the island of Carpathos. [7]
Subspecies
The three subspecies are:[2][8]
- L. l. basoglui (Baran & Atatür, 1980)[9][10]
- L. l. finikensis (Basoglu & Atatür, 1975)[9][10]
- L. l. luschani (Steindachner, 1891)[9][10]
Conservation
Diet
Development and Life Cycle
Anatomy and Morphology
Physiology
Genetics & Phylogeny
Parasites
References
- ^ a b Lymberakis, P.; Kaska, Y.; Kumlutaş, Y.; Avci, A.; Üzüm, N.; Yeniyurt, C.; Akarsu, F.; Tok, V.; Ugurtas, I.H.; Sevinç, M.; Crochet, P.-A.; Papenfuss, T.; Sparreboom, M.; Kuzmin, S.; Anderson, S. & Denoel, M. (2009). "Lyciasalamandra luschani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T41241A86525768. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T41241A10422896.en. {{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
- ^ a b c Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Lyciasalamandra luschani (Steindachner, 1891)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ Arnold, E.N and J.A. Burton. 1978. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. Collins. London ISBN 0002199645.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Rosa-Maria, POLYMENI; Canella, RADEA; Costis, PAPANAYOTOU (11 October 2011). "Diet Composition of the Salamander <I>Lyciasalamandra luschani basoglui</I> on the Greek Island of Kastellorizo in the Southeast Aegean Sea". Asian Herpetological Research. 2 (3): 155–160. doi:10.3724/sp.j.1245.2011.00155. ISSN 2095-0357.
- ^ Vitt, Laurie J.; Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 169.
- ^ Özeti, Neclâ (1967). "The Morphology of the Salamander Mertensiella luschani ( Steindachner ) and the Relationships of Mertensiella and Salamandra". American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists ( ASIH ): 287–298.
- ^ Veith, Michael & Steinfartz, Sebastian (2004). "When non-monophyly results in taxonomic consequences – the case of Mertensiella within the Salamandridae (Amphibia: Urodela)" (PDF). Salamandra. 40 (1): 67–80. ISSN 0036-3375. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-21.
- ^ a b c Budak, A. & Göçmen, B. (2005). Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir
- ^ a b c (in Turkish) Bayram Göçmen Archived 2012-12-21 at archive.today. Fen.ege.edu.tr. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.
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