Ommatotriton ophryticus

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Ommatotriton ophryticus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Salamandridae
Genus: Ommatotriton
Species:
O. ophryticus
Binomial name
Ommatotriton ophryticus
(Berthold, 1846)
Synonyms [2]

Triton ophryticusBerthold, 1846
Triturus vittatus ophryticus
Triturus ophryticus ophryticus— Litvinchuk et al., 2005

Contents

Ommatotriton ophryticus, the northern banded newt, is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. [2] [3] It is found in northeastern Turkey and western Caucasus in Georgia, Armenia, and southern Russia. [2]

Taxonomy

Ommatotriton ophryticus has been considered subspecies of Ommatotriton vittatus , but in 2005 Litvinchuk and colleagues [4] raised it to full species status. [2] They also described a new subspecies under this taxon, Triturus ophryticus nesterovi, [4] now recognized as a separate species Ommatotriton nesterovi . [2]

Description

The tail is about the same length as the body and head. The limbs and digits are long, more so in males. Skin is almost smooth to slightly granular. During the terrestrial phase, the dorsum is reddish. During the aquatic phase, the dorsal and lateral surfaces are bronze-olive or olive-brown; there are small dark points on the back and a light band on flanks bordered with dark stripes. The belly is immaculate yellow to orange. During the breeding season, adult males develop very high and notched middorsal and caudal crest; the colouration is yellowish or brownish, with dark vertical stripes. Furthermore, their tails are covered with dark spots from above and with blue and/or greenish spots elsewhere. [3]

Habitat and conservation

Ommatotriton ophryticus occurs mostly higher than 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level. [3] It typically lives in coniferous, mixed, and deciduous forests, up to subalpine meadows. [1] [3] Reproduction takes places in a large range of water bodies, from temporary ponds to lakes. [1] Hibernation generally takes place on land, although individuals in breeding colours have been found in water as early as January. The terrestrial habitat may be relatively arid. [3]

Ommatotriton ophryticus can be locally common, but it is sporadically distributed over much of its range. It suffers from habitat loss caused forest destruction, dam construction, destruction of wetlands, overgrazing by cattle, urbanization, and pollution. Also predation by introduced raccoons (Procyon lotor) is a major threat. It is also collected for pet trade. [1]

Related Research Articles

Salamandridae family of amphibians

Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Currently, 74 species have been identified in the Northern Hemisphere - Europe, Asia, the northern tip of Africa, and North America. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is very granular because of the number of poison glands. They also lack nasolabial grooves.

Northern crested newt species of amphibian

The northern crested newt, also known as the great crested newt or warty newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.

Alpine newt species of amphibian

The alpine newt is a newt of the salamander order Caudata in the class of amphibians. It was formerly known as Triturus alpestris and Mesotriton alpestris.

<i>Triturus</i> genus of amphibians

Triturus is a genus of newts comprising the crested and the marbled newts, which are found from Great Britain through most of continental Europe to westernmost Siberia, Anatolia, and the Caspian Sea region. Their English names refer to their appearance: marbled newts have a green–black colour pattern, while the males of crested newts, which are dark brown with a yellow or orange underside, develop a conspicuous jagged seam on their back and tail during their breeding phase.

Southern crested newt species of amphibian

The southern crested newt is a terrestrial European newt. It is similar to the northern crested newt except larger and more robust.

Marbled newt species of amphibian

The marbled newt is a mainly terrestrial newt native to Europe.

Striped newt species of amphibian

The striped newt, Notophthalmus perstriatus, is a species of aquatic salamander native to the southeastern United States. It is a close relative of the eastern newt, with which it shares territory, and can be distinguished from the latter by the presence of red stripes running down the sides of its back and red spots on its back that lack a black outline.

<i>Neurergus</i> genus of amphibians

Neurergus is a genus of salamanders, more specifically newts, in the family Salamandridae. They are found in the Middle East, and are bred in captivity for their bright colors. In nature, they inhabit streams and small rivers, and the surrounding forests or shrublands. All of the Neurergus are considered threatened species, primarily due to destruction of habitat.

Algerian ribbed newt species of amphibian

The Algerian ribbed newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in Algeria and Tunisia. The natural habitats of this newt are rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, cisterns, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and ponds. It is threatened by habitat destruction.

Boscas newt species of amphibian

Boscá's newt, also known as the Iberian newt, is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. The species is found in Portugal and western Spain.

Danube crested newt species of amphibian

The Danube crested newt or Danube newt is a species of newt found in central and eastern Europe, along the basin of the Danube river and some of its tributaries and in the Dnieper delta. It has a smaller and more slender body than the other crested newts in genus Triturus but like these, males develop a conspicuous jagged seam on back and tail during breeding season.

Southern marbled newt species of amphibian

The southern marbled newt or pygmy marbled newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in Portugal and Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, water storage areas, ponds, open excavations, irrigated land, canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Southern banded newt species of amphibian

The southern banded newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.

<i>Ommatotriton</i> genus of amphibians

Ommatotriton or banded newts is a genus of salamanders in the family Salamandridae. The genus occurs in Western Asia and Caucasus. The species in this genus were formerly placed in the genus Triturus.

Newt Animal

A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats.

Balkan crested newt species of amphibian

The Balkan crested newt or Buresch's crested newt is a newt species of the crested newt species complex in genus Triturus, found in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia.

<i>Triturus macedonicus</i> species of amphibian

Triturus macedonicus, the Macedonian crested newt, is a newt species of the crested newt species complex in genus Triturus, found in the Western Balkan peninsula.

Anatolian crested newt species of amphibian

The Anatolian crested newt is a newt species endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was first considered to belong to the southern crested newt and then the Balkan crested newt. The three species form a complex of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Genetic data demonstrated the Anatolian crested newt to be distinct from the other two species, although it hybridises with the Balkan crested newt at its western range end.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kurtuluş Olgun; Jan Willem Arntzen; Sergius Kuzmin; Theodore Papenfuss; Ismail Ugurtas; David Tarkhnishvili; Max Sparreboom; Steven Anderson; Boris Tuniyev Natalia Ananjeva; Yakup Kaska; Yusuf Kumlutaş; Aziz Avci; Nazan Üzüm & Uğur Kaya (2009). "Ommatotriton ophryticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . IUCN. 2009: e.T136019A4230151. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T136019A4230151.en . N.b. The assessment predates the recognition of Ommatotriton nesterovi as a distinct species.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Ommatotriton ophryticus (Berthold, 1846)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ommatotriton ophryticus Northern Banded Newt". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2018. N.b. The text predates the recognition of Ommatotriton nesterovi as a distinct species.
  4. 1 2 Litvinchuk, S. N.; Zuiderwijk, A.; Borkin, L. J. & Rosanov, J. M. (2005). "Taxonomic status of Triturus vittatus (Amphibia: Salamandridae) in western Turkey: trunk vertebrae count, genome size and allozyme data". Amphibia-Reptilia. 26 (3): 305–323. doi:10.1163/156853805774408685.
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