Description
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This is a slender salamander with a flat head and a rounded snout. Males 120-140 mm, females 100-130 mm total length. The upper jaw extends beyond the lower. The lips are well developed. The tail is low and oval in cross section. The extremities are slender and the front leg carries four, and the hind leg five toes. Males have a small spur on the hind legs. The male cloaca is hook-shaped, and directed posteriorly and opens dorsally. The female cloaca is more or less cone-shaped and opens distally. The skin is relatively smooth, with a few unevenly distributed warts. Coloration is variable; the dorsum can be gray, brown or olive. The back has variable numbers ofbrown, green, red or black spots. The spots, especially in males, can be connected to form longitudinal stripes. A vertebral stripe is white, yellowish, bright brown, rust brown or dark brown (Boehme et al 1999).This species appears to be the sister taxon of Euproctus montanus from Corsica, but these two may not be sister taxa of the third species in the genus, Euproctus asper of the Pyrennes, which instead appears more closely related to some species of Triturus(Caccone et al. 1997).
Caccone, A., Milinkovitch, M. C., Sbordoni, V. and Powell, J. R. (1997). ''Mitochondrial DNA rates and biogeography in European Newts (genus Euproctus).'' Systematic Biology, 46, 126-144.
- author
- Arie van der Meijden
Distribution and Habitat
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E. platycephalus is endemic to the island of Sardinia. Its range is restricted to the region between Limbara Mountains in the North and Sarrabus-Mountains in the South and between Baunei in the East and Monte Linas in the West. The range has three foci: (1) the Limbara-Mountains ; (2) the Gennargentu-Mountains ;(3) the Mountains of Gerrei and Sarrabus. All three regions are situated on the eastern part of the island. With few exceptions, there are no records on the west side of the island. E. platycephalus occupies mostly calm but also running waters during its aquatic period, the length of which is determined by the climate. Small and large rivers are preferred, in areas where these rivers are calm, although it is also found in small mountain lakes and water holes. Stones on the ground are used as hiding places. The terrestrial habitat is always situated close to the water. Here you find the animals under stones, but also in root zones of bushes and trees in wasteland, in the macchia or in woodland. The species occursbetween 50 and 1800 m. Most records were made in the 400-900 m zone (Gasc 1997).
- author
- Arie van der Meijden
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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E. platycephalus is the most aquatic member of the genus. They can be found in the water throughout the year. Usually though, they hibernate and aestivate on land in the vicinity of water. Mating can take place in April and May, after hibernation, or after aestivation in the autumn. Mating takes place in the water. The male actively searches for a female with his mouth opened. If a female is encountered the male grips her in the trunk with his jaws. The male then proceeds to find a suitable place for mating, carrying the passive female in his jaws. This searching behavior can last up to one hour. The male then curves his body so that his tail lies over the tail base of the female, and his hook-like extended cloaca lies under her tail in the cloacal region. Spermatophore transfer can take place directly or with the aid of the spurs on the hind legs of the male. The female lays her eggs individually under rocks and in cracks. She uses her elongated cloaca to position the eggs. In captivity, the eggs have been laid on the substrate or under sand. Observations on the development of eggs are only known from captivity. The eggs are 3mm in diameter, and with the gelatinous envelope they are 4-5mm in diameter. The number of eggs varies from 57 to 221. These are laid over a long period of 3 up to 5.6 months. Embryonic development takes 37.6 days on average at 15ºC, and 12.7 days at 24.5ºC. Larvae are 8.8 to 14.5 mm upon hatching. Larval development depends on temperature. At 15ºC development takes 376-453 days, whereas at 20.5ºC it takes 184-260 days. Larvae that develop in stagnant waters seem to grow larger than their conspecifics in running waters. The discovery of sexually mature animals with gill vestiges suggests a tendency toward paedomorphosis in this species (Boehme et al 1999).
- author
- Arie van der Meijden
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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E. platycephalus is highly endangered. There are only a few populations known. It may even be the rarest and most threatened salamander of Europe. In spite of intensive searches executed by various herpetologists, few historical localities could be verified. There are three probable causes for the decline of E. platycephalus: (1) Treatment of water bodies with DDT in the 1950's in the battle against malaria. (2) The introduction of trout, that may be a threat to the salamanders themselves or compete with the salamanders for food. (3) The reduction of water levels due to increasing anthropomorphic pressures. This is a direct result of the increasing demand for water due to increasing tourism and agriculture (Boehme et al 1999).
- author
- Arie van der Meijden
Biology
provided by Arkive
The Sardinian newt is the most aquatic member of the genus and individuals can be found in the water year round. Mating takes place in the water, either following hibernation in April and May, or after aestivation in the autumn (4). Mouth open, the male actively searches for a female, he then grabs her with his mouth and takes her to a suitable mating place (4). Females lay their eggs individually under rocks and in cracks, with use of their elongated cloaca. In captivity, eggs have been laid on the substrate or under sand. Observations on the development of eggs are only known from captivity (4); larval periods can be very long and may last for more then a year, at temperatures of 15 °C. Larvae that develop in stagnant waters seem to grow larger than those in running waters. The discovery of sexually mature animals with gill vestiges suggests a tendency towards the retention of juvenile characteristics (termed 'paedomorphosis') in this species (4).
Conservation
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No specific conservation measurements are being taken for the Sardinian brook newt. However, the Habitats Directive strictly protects this species and protected habitats are being proposed to the EU-Commission by Italy (2). In addition, there is a captive breeding program to keep this species alive in captivity (6).
Description
provided by Arkive
The Sardinian brook newt has a slender body with a flattened head; the tail is low and oval in cross-section. The upper jaw overhangs the lower, and the lips are well developed (4). The extremities are slender and the front leg carries four, and the hind leg five, toes; males have a small spur on the hind legs. The male cloaca is hook-shaped, whilst that of the female is more or less cone-shaped (4). The skin is relatively smooth, with a few unevenly distributed warts. Coloration is variable; the upper surface may be grey, brown or olive, with variable numbers of brown, green, red or black spots along the back (4). The underside is frequently yellowish or reddish, particularly along the centre of the belly, and usually dark spotted, especially in males. The throat is usually spotted (1), and there is a white, yellowish, bright-brown, rust-brown or dark-brown stripe along the backbone (4).
Habitat
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This newt is found from 50 - 1,800 metres above sea level (5); 60 % of all known localities lie beneath 600 m (4). Newts are amphibious, living on both land and water. This species occupies mostly calm but also running waters during its aquatic period; varying from lakes to small and large rivers, and showing a preference for relatively calm sections of these waters (1). Stones on the riverbed are used as hiding places. The terrestrial habitat is always situated close to the water; here you also find the animals under stones, but additionally in the root zones of bushes and trees in wasteland, in the 'macchia' (Mediterranean scrub) or in woodland (4).
Range
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The Sardinian brook newt is endemic to the eastern part of the island of Sardinia. Its range is restricted to the region between the Limbara Mountains in the North and the Sarrabus Mountains in the South, reaching east from Monte Linas to Baunei. The range is centred on the Limbara Mountains, the Gennargentu Mountains, and the Mountains of Gerrei and Sarrabus (4).
Status
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Classified as Critically Endangered (CR - A1ac, B1+2bcd) on the IUCN Red List 2002 (7). Listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention (3), and Annexe IV of the EC Habitats Directive (2).
Threats
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This European newt is highly endangered and only a few populations are known. In spite of intensive searches executed by various experienced herpetologists, only a handful of the historical localities could be verified (4), and it is feared that this species is the rarest and most threatened salamander in Europe (8).
There are three probable causes for the decline of E. platycephalus:
(a) Treatment of water bodies with DDT in the 1950's in the battle against malaria.
(b) The introduction of trout, which may be a threat to the salamanders themselves or compete with the salamanders for food.
(c) The reduction of water levels due to increasing demand for water from both the tourism and agricultural industries (4).
Sardinian brook salamander
provided by wikipedia EN
The Sardinian brook salamander or Sardinian mountain newt (Euproctus platycephalus) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Sardinia, Italy.[2]
Description
The Sardinian brook salamander can grow to about 15 cm (6 in) in length, but adults are usually rather smaller than this, with females being a bit larger than males. It is very similar to the Corsican brook salamander, but the head is flatter, the throat is more spotted, and the paratoid glands are smaller. The lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw. The skin is smooth apart from a few irregularly placed tubercles. The colour is olive, grey, or reddish-brown, often with red, brown, or black spots and longitudinal streaks, and often a thin yellow or brown stripe occurs along the spine. The underside is paler, often having a red or yellow central region and black spots. The male has a spur on each hind limb.[3][4] The only species with which it is likely to be confused are cave salamanders in the family Plethodontidae.[3]
Distribution and habitat
The Sardinian brook salamander is endemic to the mountainous areas on the east side of the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. It is found at altitudes between 50 and 1,800 metres (160 and 5,910 ft), with most sightings being in the middle of this range. It is found in slow-moving streams and rivers, small lakes, and ponds, where it hides under stones. When on land, it is usually found in undergrowth or under stones, and usually stays close to water.[3]
Biology
The Sardinian brook salamander is largely aquatic, though it does hibernate and sometimes aestivate on land near the water's edge. Mating takes place in the water, the male having first carried the passive female in his jaws to a suitable location. He clasps her body with his jaws and bends his body around, wrapping his tail around hers. He transfers spermatophores to her cloaca from his cloaca, sometimes with the aid of his spurs. The female lays up to 220 eggs singly over a period of weeks in crevices and under stones and possibly buried in sand.[4] She forms her mobile cloaca into a tube and turns on her back to deposit them in suitable locations.[3] The larvae take six to 15 months before metamorphosis depending on the water temperature. In 1999, sexually mature adults were reported to have been found with the vestiges of gills, suggesting the species may exhibit paedomorphosis.[4]
Status
The Sardinian brook salamander is classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable, because the area it occupies is less than 500 km2 (190 sq mi) in total and fragmented into a number of separate populations. It is threatened by loss of habitat, pollution of watercourses, dry conditions caused by the excessive extraction of water, and disturbance due to tourism. Its numbers appear to be dwindling. Most of the specimens found were male and the species seems to be no longer present in some locations where it was previously found.[1]
References
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Sardinian brook salamander: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The Sardinian brook salamander or Sardinian mountain newt (Euproctus platycephalus) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Sardinia, Italy.
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