Near Threatened Amphibian Species - Amphibian Specialist Group

642Threatened Amphibians of the WorldNadal, J. (1982), Pleguezuelos, J.M. (1997), Pleguezuelos, J.M., Márquez, R. and Lizana, M. (2002), Serra-Cobo, J., Lacroix, G. andWhite, S. (1998), Serra-Cobo, J., Uiblein, F. and Martinez-Rica, J.P. (2000), Thiesmeier, B. and Hornberg, C. (1990), Thorn, R. (1968),Wisniewski, P.J. (1986)Data Providers: Jaime Bosch, Miguel Tejedo, Roberta Lecis, Claude Miaud, Miguel Lizana, Paul Edgar, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, AlfredoSalvador, Mario García-París, Ernesto Recuero Gil, Rafael Marquez, Philippe GeniezNotophthalmus perstriatus (Bishop, 1941)STRIPED NEWTThis species can be found in northern Florida, westward to the vicinity of the Ochlocknee River, and northward intosouthern Georgia, USA. The known Georgia distribution is limited to three widely disjunctive areas (Dodd 1993b; Doddand LaClaire 1995). In Florida, specimens have been recorded as far south as Hernando and Orange Counties and fromthe Atlantic coast westward to the west side of Apalachee Bay (Christman and Means 1978; Campbell, Christmanand Thompson 1980). In Georgia, specimens have been recorded from as far north as Screven and Jenkins Counties,south-east to Wilcox County (Dodd 1993b) and westward to Baker County (L.V. LaClaire pers. comm.). More than30 occurrences are known across its range, with the majority from Florida. Further surveys might turn up additionaloccurrences (Dodd 1993b). It varies from rare to locally common depending on the availability of a breeding pond. Thetotal number of individuals is unknown. It sometimes occurs in very low densities, but some local breeding populationsencompass many thousands of individuals (Johnson 2002). Evidence suggests that the total population is declining.This species can be found in sandhill habitat, scrub, scrubby flatwoods, mesic flatwoods, and isolated, ephemeralwetlands within these habitats (for example in sinkhole ponds, depression ponds and marshes, and ditches). It cantolerate selective logging as long as the ground is not roller-chopped or otherwise prepared. The larvae and adults areaquatic, although the adults emigrate to surrounding wooded areas near breeding ponds if the ponds dry up. It breedsin shallow temporary ponds associated with well-drained sands, and the eggs are attached to submerged vegetation.There are many potential threats to this species. For example, conversion of terrestrial habitat for agriculture,silviculture, or commercial or residential development, drainage or enlargement (with subsequent introduction ofpredatory fish) of aquatic habitat, and loss of aquatic habitat from lowering of the water table as a result of waterconsumption by humans. Other key threats include habitat alteration resulting from suppression of fire, highwaymortality during migration, habitat degradation from off-road vehicle traffic, and collection for the pet trade. Populationdisjunction might exacerbate existing threats through lack of gene flow, genetic drift, and inbreeding depression.Most of the remaining known populations are on federal, state, or private conservation lands, such as ApalachicolaNational Forest, Florida; Camp Blanding Military reservation, Florida; Ocala National Forest, Florida; Fort Stewart,Georgia; Ichauway Plantation, Georgia; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge; the ITT Rayonier property, Georgia; andthe Katharine Ordway Preserve-Swisher Memorial Sanctuary. Surveys at the periphery of its range, and in appropriatehabitat between populations, are needed to investigate the perceived decline (R. Franz pers. comm.).Bibliography: Ashton, R.E., Jr. and Ashton, P.S. (1988), Behler, J.L. and King, F.W. (1979), Bishop, S.C. (1941), Bishop, S.C. (1943),Blackburn, L., Nanjappa, P. and Lannoo, M.J. (2001), Bury, R.B., Dodd, Jr., C.K. and Fellers, G.M. (1980), Campbell, H.W. and Christman,S.P. (1982a), Campbell, H.W. and Christman, S.P. (1982b), Campbell, H.W., Christman, S.P. and Thompson, F.G. (1980), Carmichael, P. andWilliams, W. (1991), Carr Jr, A.F. (1940), Carr, A. and Goin, C.J. (1955), Christman, S.P. and Franz, L.R. (1973), Christman, S.P. and Means,D.B. (1978), Christman, S.P. and Means, D.B. (1992), Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. (1991), Dodd, C.K. and Cade, B.S. (1998), Dodd, Jr, C.K.(1992), Dodd, Jr, C.K. (1993a), Dodd, Jr, C.K. (1993b), Dodd, Jr, C.K. (2005b), Dodd, Jr, C.K. and Charest, B.G. (1988), Dodd, Jr, C.K. andLaClaire, L.V. (1995), Duellman, W.E. and Trueb, L. (1986), Franz, R. (1991), Franz, R. and Smith, L.L. (1994), Frost, D.R. (1985), Grogan, W.L. Jr. and Bystrak, D. (1973), Johnson, S.A. (1998), Johnson, S.A. (2001), Johnson, S.A. (2002), LaClaire, L.V. (1992), LaClaire, L.V. (1995b),LaClaire, L.V. and Franz, R. (1990), LaClaire, L.V. and Franz, R. (1990), Means, D.B. (1990), Means, D.B., Ostertag, T.E. and Printiss, D.(1994a), Means, D.B., Ostertag, T.E. and Printiss, D. (1994b), Mecham, J.S. (1967), Mecham, J.S. and Hellman, R.E. (1952), Millsap, B.A.et al. (1990), Moler, P.E. and Franz, R. (1988), Reilly, S.M. (1990), Semlitsch, R.D. (1998), Stevenson, H.M. (1976), Stout, I.J., Richardson,D.R. and Roberts, R.E. (1988), Telford, S.R. Jr. (1993), Wharton, C.H. and Howard, J.D. (1971)Data Providers: Geoffrey Hammerson, Kenneth DoddParamesotriton caudopunctatus(Liu and Hu, 1973)SPOT-TAILED WARTY NEWTThis species is known from south-eastern Chongqing, south-western Hunan, eastern Guizhou, and Fuchuan in easternGuangxi in central China, from 500-1,800m asl. It probably occurs more widely than current records suggest. It is a verycommon species. It inhabits hill streams of varying sizes and the surrounding habitats in forested areas, and sometimesalso occurs in streamside pools. It breeds in streams where the larvae also develop. This species is affected by habitatdestruction and degradation for dam construction and subsistence wood collecting, and also by harvesting for use intraditional Chinese medicine. Small numbers are exported for the international pet trade, though probably not at alevel to constitute a threat to the species. Several protected areas in the region fall within the species’ range.Bibliography: Fei, L. et al. (1999), Hu, S.-Q., Zhao, E.M. and Liu, C.C (1973), MacKinnon, J. et al. (1996), Ye, C.-Y, Fei, L. and Hu, S.Q. (1993)Data Providers: Yuan Zhigang, Michael Wai Neng LauParamesotriton hongkongensis(Myers and Leviton, 1962)HONG KONG WARTY NEWTThis species is known from coastal Guangdong, including Hong Kong, in China, from 30-940m asl. It is a very commonspecies. It inhabits low- to medium-gradient hill streams and the surrounding forests. Breeding takes place in slowflowingstream pools where the larvae also develop. A particular threat to this species is the collection of significantnumbers for the pet trade. Its main distribution range falls within protected areas, and the Hong Kong population isprotected by local legislation. This species has been widely bred in captivity.Taxonomy: We follow Thorn and Raffaëlli (2001) in recognizing this as a full species distinct from Paramesotriton chinensis.Bibliography: Fei, L. et al. (1999), Lau, M.W.N. (1998), MacKinnon, J. et al. (1996), Myers, G.S. and Leviton, A.E. (1992), Thorn, R. andRaffaëlli, J. (2001)Data Providers: Michael Wai Neng Lau, Bosco ChanPleurodeles waltl Michahelles, 1830SHARP-RIBBED SALAMANDERThis species is distributed in central and southern Iberia, and in the coastal plain of northern Morocco. It is essentiallya lowland species becoming rare above 900m asl, although it might be found at 1,565m asl in the Sierra de Loja,Granada, Spain. It is not abundant over most of its distribution, with populations being more scattered and fragmentedin the east and north of the Iberian Peninsula. Some population declines in this species have been observed, especiallyin eastern Spain. It appears to be in decline in Morocco (although it is common in the north), and the southernmostpopulations in Morocco might be extinct (T. Slimani and El Hassan El Mouden pers. comm.). This is a highly aquaticspecies of Mediterranean-type habitats including scrub, open woodland and cultivated land. It is generally found inponds, dayas, wadis, lakes, ditches and slow-moving streams (often temporary in nature) with plenty of vegetationcover. The adults are mostly found under stones or in mud in their aquatic habitats, or sheltering under cover on landif the wetland dries up. It may be present in slightly modified aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The female depositsaround 800-1,500 eggs on plants and stones in ponds. This species is generally threatened through loss of aquatichabitats through drainage, agrochemical pollution, the impacts of livestock (in North African dayas), eutrophication,domestic and industrial contamination, and infrastructure development. It has largely disappeared from coastal areasin Iberia and Morocco close to concentrations of tourism and highly populated areas (such as Madrid). Introducedfish and crayfish (Procambarus clarki) are known to prey on the eggs and larvae of this species, and are implicated inits decline. Mortality on roads has been reported to be a serious threat to some populations. It occurs in a numberof protected areas in Iberia, but there is a need to monitor vulnerable populations in northern and eastern Spain andPortugal. It is listed on Appendix III of the Berne Convention and is protected by national legislation in Spain, wherecaptive breeding of the species and habitat restoration projects are in place in some regions.Bibliography: Alberch, P. and González, D. (1973), Alvarez, A. and Martin, L. (2000), Arnold, E.N. (2003), Böhme, W, Grossenbacher, K.and Thiesmeier, B. (1999), Bons, J. and Geniez, P. (1996), Díaz-Paniagua, C. (1990), Díaz-Paniagua, C. (1992), Ferrand de Almeida, N. etal. (2001), García-Cardenete, L. et al. (2003), García-París, M. (1985), Gasc, J.-P. et al. (eds.) (1997), Godinho, R. et al. (1999), González dela Vega, J.P. (1998), Griffiths, R.A. (1996), Hernández, A. et al. (2000), Malkmus, R. (1999), Malkmus, R. (2004), Martínez-Solano, I. andBosch, J. (2001), Mateo, J.A. et al. (2003), Mellado, J. and Mateo, J.A. (1992), Pasteur, G. and Bons, J. (1959), Pleguezuelos, J.M. (1997),Pleguezuelos, J.M., Márquez, R. and Lizana, M. (2002), Reques, R. (2000), Salvador, A. (1996), Salvador, A. (2002), Thorn, R. (1968)Data Providers: Pedro Beja, Jaime Bosch, Miguel Tejedo, Paul Edgar, David Donaire-Barroso, Miguel Lizana, Iñigo Martínez-Solano,Alfredo Salvador, Mario García-París, Ernesto Recuero Gil, Tahar Slimani , El Hassan El Mouden, Philippe Geniez, Tahar SlimaniSalamandra infraimmaculata (Mertens, 1948)AROUSS AL AYNThis species is present in south-eastern and eastern parts of Anatolia, Turkey; north-western Iran; northern Iraq;Lebanon; and northern Israel (Tel Dan, upper and western Galilee, and Mount Carmel). There is little informationavailable on the distribution of this species in Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq. The altitudinal range in the south of thisspecies’ range is known to be approximately 180-2,000m asl (in the Taurus Mountains). It is generally locally commonin suitable habitat. In Iran this species is considered to be rare, and populations in Israel are small but generally stable.In Lebanon it is considered to be widespread, but localized and probably not abundant. The terrestrial habitat of thisspecies varies across its range. In Iran it is known from an area of arid sparse cork forest. In Turkey and Lebanon ithas been found to inhabit damp forests and groves in mountainous or hilly regions, and to shelter under leaves, rootsor stones not far from water. This species may persist in formerly forested habitats, although further studies areneeded. Isolated populations of this salamander are found around pools (often temporary in nature) and slow-flowingspring-fed streams which the adults inhabit during the breeding season (winter through to early spring). It foragesnocturnally, but may be seen in the daytime during wet weather. It produces live young (larvae with gills that undergometamorphosis; Degani 1996). It is threatened in parts of its range, such as Israel and Lebanon (and possibly SyrianArab Republic), by infrastructure development and aquatic pollution by pesticides. In Lebanon introduced fish arealso a problem. In Israel large numbers of this salamander are killed on roads. This species is probably in decline inTurkey (as in other parts of the Middle East) as a result of damming of breeding streams, aquatic pollution, and anincrease in ground water abstraction resulting from the rapid expansion of irrigation schemes for agriculture. It ispresent in the Mount Hermon, Mount Carmel and Tel Dan Natur protected areas in Israel and has been recorded inthe Arz El-Shouf, Horj Ehden and Ammiq Marshes protected areas of Lebanon. The active creation of breeding habitatis taking place in the nature reserve within Mount Carmel, Israel. This species is protected by national legislationin Israel. Further fieldwork into its biology, habitat and distribution over much of its range is needed. It is unclearwhich species of Salamandra have been recorded from western Anatolia, and further investigation to identify thesepopulations (which are not included here) is needed.Taxonomy: This account follows the suggested Salamandra monophyletic Group distribution presented in Steinfartz, Vieth and Tautz (2000).Bibliography: Alon, A. (1984), Baloutchi, M. and Kami, H.G. (1995), Baran, I. and Atatür, M.K. (1998), Baran, I. and Öz, M. (1994), Blaustein,L. and Schwartz, S.S. (2001), Degani, G. (1986), Degani, G. (1993), Degani, G. (1996), Degani, G. et al. (1999), Degani, G. and Kaplan,D. (1999), Degani, G. and Warburg, M.R. (1978), Gafny, S. (2004), Griffiths, R.A. (1996), Hraoui-Bloquet, S. et al. (2002), Hraoui-Bloquet,S., Sadek, R. and Geze, R. (2001), Öz, M. (1987), Özeti, N. and Yilmaz, I. (1994), Steinfartz, S., Veith, M. and Tautz, D. (2000), Thorn, R.(1968), Tron, F. (2005), Weisrock, D.W. et al. (2001)Data Providers: Theodore Papenfuss, Ahmad Disi, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani, Gad Degani, Ismail Ugurtas, Max Sparreboom, SergiusKuzmin, Steven Anderson, Riyad Sadek, Souad Hraoui-Bloquet, Avital Gasith, Eldad Elron, Sarig Gafny, Güven Eken, Tuba Kiliç, EnginGem, Yehudah L. Werner, Murat Sevinç, Pierre-André Crochet.Triturus dobrogicus (Kiritzescu, 1903)DANUBE CRESTED NEWTThis species is found in the lowlands of the Tisza and Danube River systems from eastern Austria, extreme southernCzech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, northern Croatia, extreme northern Bosnia-Herzegovina, northern Serbia andwestern Romania, eastwards to the Transcarpathian Plain in southern Romania, northern Bulgaria, southern Moldova(the lower reaches of the Prut River), and extreme southern Odesskaya Province (Ukraine). Individuals from northeasternSlovenia (the Mura River) are hybrid forms with Triturus carnifex. It is generally found in lowland areas below300m asl. In general, populations of this species are rapidly declining as a result of habitat loss. It is found in openhabitats with mixed deciduous forests and groves, bushlands, flooded meadows and swamps, and also in agriculturallandscapes and villages, and riparian groves in the steppe regions. It might in some instances be strictly aquatic. Thisspecies may coexist with fish in oxbow lakes, river margins and other non-temporary waterbodies, and may also occurin disturbed habitats including those close to human settlement (Griffiths 1996). Reproduction takes place in smallponds with stagnant water, or in channels, ditches and flooded quarries. The main threats to this species are rapidanthropogenic habitat destruction (for example, through drainage and damming), and pollution of its wetland habitats(especially floodplains). Hybridization with other crested newt species at the edge of its range is also a threat. In thesouthern part of its range, there has been loss of breeding habitats in recent years due to decreased spring rains,perhaps as a result of global climate change. It is present in a number of protected areas, and in parts of its rangemitigation measures to reduce road kill have been established. It is listed on Appendix II of the Berne Convention andis protected by national legislation in some of the areas where it occurs (for example, in Romania).Taxonomy: The exact ranges of members of the Triturus cristatus superspecies are unclear in the central Balkans.Bibliography: Arnold, E.N. (2003), Arntzen, J.W. (2003), Arntzen, J.W. et al. (1997), Arntzen, J.W. and Wallis, G.P. (1999), Böhme, W,Grossenbacher, K. and Thiesmeier, B. (1999), Cogalniceanu, D. and Miaud, C. (2002), Cogalniceanu, D. and Miaud, C. (2003), Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J. et al. (1997), Dely, G. (1967), Gasc, J.-P. et al. (eds.) (1997), Griffiths, R.A. (1996), Jehle, R., Hödl, W. and Thonke, A. (1995),Kalezic, M. and Dzukic, G. (2001), Kovács, T. (2002), Kuzmin, S.L. (1995), Kuzmin, S.L. (1996), Kuzmin, S.L. (1999), Kuzmin, S.L., Dodd Jr,C.K. and Pikulik, M.M. (1995), Litvinchuk, S.N. and Borkin, L. (2000), Puky, M. (2000), Puky, M. (2003), Puky, M. et al. (2003), Thorn, R.(1968), Vogrin, M. (2002)Data Providers: Jan Willem Arntzen, Sergius Kuzmin, Robert Jehle, Mathieu Denoël, Brandon Anthony, Claude Miaud, Wiesiek Babik,Milan Vogrin, David Tarkhnishvili, Vladimir Ishchenko, Natalia Ananjeva, Nikolai Orlov, Boris Tuniyev, Dan Cogalniceanu, Tibor Kovács,István Kiss, Miklós Puky, Judit Vörös, Jelka Crnobrnja Isailovic, Rastko AjticTriturus pygmaeus (Wolterstorff, 1905)SOUTHERN MARBLED NEWTThis species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula where it is distributed in central and southern Portugal and thesouthern half of Spain, from sea level to 1,450m asl. It is common in areas where suitable siliceous substratehabitat exists. There has been a significant decline in the populations of southern and eastern Spain (those foundon a calcareous substrate). This species inhabits broadleaf (Quercus oak) woodland in meso-Mediterranean andthermo-Mediterranean climates. Aquatic habitats used for breeding and larval development include temporary orpermanent ponds, lagoons, abandoned quarries and wells, drinking troughs, irrigation ponds, ditches and other areasof stagnant or slow-moving water. It is found in traditional farmland areas and other slightly modifi ed habitats. Themost significant threat to this species overall is habitat loss, especially the loss of temporary ponds. In the west ofSpain and southern Portugal populations are affected by predation by non-native crayfish and predatory fi sh. Increasingurbanization surrounding Madrid has also led to the elimination of many populations. In southern and easternSpain, over-exploitation of groundwater resources, agrochemical pollution, loss of traditional breeding sites and theintroduction of predatory non-native fish and crayfish (Procamabrus clarkii) has led to a serious population decline.In Portugal this species is also affected by the drainage of temporary ponds, associated with the intensifi cation ofagriculture. It is present in Parque Nacional de Cabañeros and Parque Nacional de Doñana, Spain, and is presumed