Two New Localities for Critically Endangered Kurdistan Newt, Neurergus derjugini Nesterov, 1916 (Caudata: Salamandridae) in Kurdistan Province, Western Iran and Problematic Taxonomic Status of this Species

Shahriar Mawloudi, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani, Shahbakhti Rostami

Abstract


Neurergus derjugini is a mountain brook-dwelling newt which is distributed in the mid-Zagros Mountains in the border areas between Iran and Iraq. During extensive fieldwork in spring and summer 2016, two new localities were found for this endangered species in Kurdistan Province, western periphery of the Iranian Plateau. One locality is in Mariwan county and the other one is located in the extreme northwest of Baneh county. Both newly-found habitats are in relatively remote and lightly populated areas, increasing hopes for conservation of this valuable and critically endangered species.

Keywords


Salamandridae; Neurergus derjugini; conservation; taxonomy; Kurdistan Province

Full Text:

PDF

References


Afroosheh M., Akmali V., Esmaeili-Rineh S., and Sharifi M. (2016), «Distribution and abundance of the endangered yellow spotted mountain newt Neurergus microspilotus (Caudata: Salamandridae) in western Iran», Herpetol. Conserv. Biol., 11(1), 52 – 60.

Al-Sheikhly O. F., Rastegar-Pouyani N., and Browne R. K. (2014), «Neurergus newts in the Middle East, status and current distribution», Salamander News, 11, 6 – 7.

Al-Sheikhly O. F., Nader I. A., Rastegar-Pouyani N., and Browne R. K. (2013), «New localities of the Kurdistan newt Neurergus microspilotus and Lake Urmia newt Neurergus crocatus (Caudata: Salamandridae) in Iraq», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 6(4), 42 – 49.

AmphibiaWeb (2013), «Neurergus derjugini: Kurdistan Newt», http://www.amphibiaweb.org/species/4260. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed on 20 December 2017.

Bahmani Z., Karamiani R., and Gharzi A. (2012), The lizard fauna of Kurdistan Province, western Iran», Iran. J. Anim. Biosys., 8(1), 27 – 37

Bahmani Z., Karamyani R., Rastegar-Pouyani N., Gharzi A., and Browne R. K. (2014), «The amphibian fauna of Kurdistan Province, western Iran», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 9(1), 31 – 35.

Baloutch M., and Kami H. G. (2006), Amphibians of Iran. 2nd Edition, Tehran Univ. Press, Tehran, Iran [in Farsi].

Barabanov A. V. and Litvinchuk S. N. (2015), «A new record of the Kurdistan newt (Neurergus derjugini) in Iran and potential distribution modeling for the species», Russ. J. Herpetol., 22(2), 107 – 115.

Baran İ., and Öz M. (1986), «On the occurrence of Neurergus crocatus and N. strauchii in southeast Anatolia», Zool. Middle East, 1, 96 – 99.

Bozorgi F., Kiabi B. H., Kami H. G., Ahmadzadeh F., Mohammadi R., and Alizadeh K. (2015), «Rediscovery of Neurergus derjugini derjugini Nesterov 1916 (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae) in western Iran», Russ. J. Herpetol., 22(2), 103 – 106.

Cope E. D. (1862), «Notes upon some reptiles of the Old World», Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, No. 14, 337 – 344.

Fleck J. (2010), «Beobachtungen an Irakischen Bergbachmolchen der Gattung Neurergus Cope, 1862 und Fragen zu ihrer taxonomischen Zuordnung nach der Wiederentdeckung der ‘Forma typica’ von ‘Rhithrotriton derjugini Nesterov, 1916’», Elaphe, 18(4), 6 – 14.

Fleck J. (2011), «Kritische Anmerkungen zu einem neuen Fundort der Bergbachmolchart Neurergus microspilotus sowie weitere Erkenntnisse zur Verbreitung und Morphologie von Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 und N. microspilotus (Nesterov, 1916) im Irak und der Türkei», Amphibia, 10(2), 16 – 21.

Frost D. R. (2017), Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. Electronic Database, http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Accessed on 20 December 2017.

Hendrix R., Fleck J., Schneider W., Schneider C., Geller D., Avci A., Olgun K., and Steinfartz S. (2014), «First comprehensive insights into nuclear and mitochondrial DNA based population structure of Near East mountain brook newts (Salamandridae: genus Neurergus) suggest the resurrection of Neurergus derjugini», Amphibia–Reptilia, 35, 173 – 187.

Mobaraki A., Amiri M., Alvandi R., Ebrahim Tehrani M., Zarin Kia H., Khoshnamvand A., Bali A., Forozanfar E., and Browne R. K. (2014), «A conservation reassessment of the Critically Endangered, Lorestan newt Neurergus kaiseri (Schmidt 1952) in Iran», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 9(1), 16 – 25.

Nader I. A. (1969), «The newt Neurergus crocatus Cope in Iraq», Iraqi Nat. Hist. Mus. Publ., 4, 3 – 12.

Najafimajd E. and Kaya U. (2010), «A newly found locality for the critically endangered Yellow Spotted Newt, Neurergus microspilotus (Nesterov, 1917) nourishes hope for its conservation», Zool. Middle East, 51, 51 – 56.

Najafimajd E. and Kaya U. (2013), «Rediscovery of the Lake Urmia newt, Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 (Caudata: Salamandridae) in northwest Iran after 150 years», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 6(4), 36 – 41.

Nesterov P. V. (1916), «Three new forms of amphibians (Urodela) of Kurdistan», Ann. Musée Zool. l’Acad. Imp. Sci. Petrograd, 21, 1 – 30 [in Russian].

Nikolsky A. M. (1918), Fauna of Russia and Adjacent Countries. Amphibians, Petrograd [in Russian].

Olgun K., Avci A., Bozkurt E., Üzüm N., Tural M., and Olgun M. F. (2015), «Range extensions of two salamanders [Neurergus strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) and Salamandra infraimmaculata Martens, 1885] (Caudata: Salamandridae) from Anatolia, Turkey), Russ. J. Herpetol., 22(4), 289 – 296.

Olgun K., Avci A., Bozkurt E., Üzüm N., Olgun H., and Ilgaz C. (2016), «A new subspecies of Anatolia newt, Neurergus strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Tunceli, eastern Turkey», Russ. J. Herpetol., 23(4), 271 – 277.

Öz M. (1994), «A new form of Neurergus strauchii (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Turkey», Turk. J. Zool., 18, 115 – 117.

Özdemir N., Üzüm N., Avci A., and Olgun K. (2009), «Phylogeny of Neurergus crocatus and Neurergus strauchii in Turkey based on morphological and molecular data», Herpetologica, 65(3), 280 – 291.

Pasmans F., Bogaerts S., Woeltjes T., and Carranza S. (2006), «Biogeography of Neurergus strauchii barani Öz 1994 and N. s. strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) (Amphibia: Salamandridae) assessed using morphological and molecular data», Amphibia–Reptilia, 27, 281 – 288.

Rastegar-Pouyani N. (2006), «Conservation and distribution of Neurergus microspilotus (Caudata: Salamandridae) in the Zagros Mountains, Kermanshah Province, Western Iran», in: Vences M., Kohler J., Ziegler T., and Bohme W. (eds.), Herpetologica Bonnensis II. Proceedings of the 13th Congress of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica, pp. 115 – 116.

Rastegar-Pouyani N., Takesh M., Fattahi A., Sadeghi M., Khorshidi F., and Browne R. K. (2013a), «Ecology of Kurdistan newt (Neurergus microspilotus: Salamandridae): population and conservation with an appraisal of the potential impact of urbanization», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 6(4), 30 – 35.

Rastegar-Pouyani N., Takesh M., Fattahi A., and Browne R. K. (2013b), «Sexual size dimorphism in the yellow-spotted newt, Neurergus microspilotus Nesterov, 1916 (Caudata: Salamandridae), from Kermanshah Province, western Iran», Russ. J. Herpetol., 20(1), 51 – 55.

Rastegar-Pouyani N., Mirani R., Bahmani Z., Karamyani R., Takesh M., and Browne R. K. (2014), «Conservation status of the Kurdistan Newt Neurergus microspilotus in Kermanshah and Kurdistan Provinces, Iran», Amph. Rept. Conserv., 9(1), 36 – 41.

Schmidt K. (1952), «Diagnoses of new amphibians and reptiles from Iran», Nat. Hist. Misc. Chicago, 93, 1 – 2.

Schmidtler J. J. and Schmidtler J. F. (1970), «Morphologie, Biologie und Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen von Neurergus strauchii aus der Türkei (Amphibia: Salamandridae)», Senckenberg. Biol., 51, 41 – 53.

Schmidtler J. J. and Schmidtler J. F. (1975), «Untersuchungen an westpersischen Bergbachmolchen der Gattung Neurergus (Caudata, Salamandridae)», Salamandra, 11, 84 – 98.

Schneider C. and Schneider W. (2010), «Fieldnotes on the ecology and distribution of Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 and Neurergus strauchii strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) in Turkey», Herpetozoa, 23(1/2), 59 – 69.

Schneider C. and Schneider W. (2011), «The Kurdistan newts of the genus Neurergus in Iraq (Caudata: Salamandridae)», Herpetozoa, 23(3/4), 3 – 20.

Schneider W. and Schneider C. (2013), «Fieldnotes on the distribution of Neurergus derjugini (Nesterov, 1916), Neurergus microspilotus (Nesterov, 1916), and Neurergus kaiseri Schmidt, 1952, in Iran (Caudata: Salamandridae)», Herpetozoa, 26(1/2), 27 – 38.

Sharifi M. and Assadian S. (2004), «Distribution and conservation status of Neurergus microspilotus (Caudata: Salamandridae) in western Iran», Asiatic Herpetol. Res., 10, 224 – 229.

Sharifi M., Rastegar-Pouyani N., Akmali V., and Assadian-Narengi S. (2008), «On distribution and conservation status of Neurergus kaiseri (Caudata: Salamandridae)», Russ. J. Herpetol., 15(3), 169 – 172.

Sharifi M., Farasat H., Barani-Bairanvand H., Vaissi S., and Foroozanfar E. (2013), «Notes on the distribution and conservation status of Neurergus kaiseri (Caudata: Salamandridae), in southwestern Iran», Herpetol. Conserv. Biol., 8(3), 724 – 731.

Sharifi M., Shafiei Bafti S., Papenfuss T. J., Anderson S. C., Kuzmin S., and Rastegar-Pouyani N. (2009), «Neurergus microspilotus (errata version published in 2016)», The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009, e.T59451A86642381. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK2009.RLTS.T59451A11944058.en

Sparreboom M. (2014), Salamanders of the Old World. The Salamanders of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, KNNV Publishing, Zeist, The Netherlands.

Steindachner F. (1887), «Über eine neue Molge-Art und eine Varietät von Homalophis Doriae Pet», Sitzungsber. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss. Math.-Naturwiss. Classe, 96, 69 – 72.

Torki F. (2012), «Verbreitung, Morphologie, Ökologie, Biologie, und Haltung von zwei iranischen Salamandern», Sauria, 34(1), 3 – 20.

Uğurtaş İ. H., Sevinç M., Akkaya A., and Ilgaz Ç. (2015), «A new locality record of Neurergus crocatus Cope, 1862 (Amphibia: Salamandridae) in eastern Anatolia, Turkey», Russ. J. Herpetol., 22(2), 89 – 92.

Vitt L. J. and Caldwell J. P. (2014), Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. 4th Edition, Academic Press, Sunderland, MA, USA.

Wolterstorff W. (1926), «Über Triton crocatus Cope», Zool. Anz., 67, 1 – 6.

Zarei F., Hosseini S. N., Amini S. S., Pezeshk J., Soofi M., and Esmaeili H. R. (2017), «A new locality of the Kurdistan newt, Neurergus derjugini derjugini (Nesterov, 1916) (Urodela: Salamandridae) represents a large population in Iran: Implication for conservation», Herpetol. Notes, 10, 611 – 614.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2022-29-4-191-198

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru