Lyciasalamandra flavimembris

Lyciasalamandra flavimembris, the Marmaris Lycian salamander or Marmaris salamander,[4] is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Turkey and is found along the southwestern Anatolian coast between Marmaris and Ula.[1][3] It was first described as subspecies of Mertensiella luschani, now Lyciasalamandra luschani.[3]

Lyciasalamandra flavimembris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Salamandridae
Genus: Lyciasalamandra
Species:
L. flavimembris
Binomial name
Lyciasalamandra flavimembris
(Mutz and Steinfartz, 1995)
Synonyms[3]

Mertensiella luschani flavimembris Mutz and Steinfartz, 1995[2]

Description

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Adult males measure 52–74 mm (2.0–2.9 in) in snout–vent length and 102–142 mm (4.0–5.6 in) in total length. Adult females measure 48–77 mm (1.9–3.0 in) in snout–vent length and 90–149 mm (3.5–5.9 in) in total length.[4] The specific name flavimembris refers to the yellow limbs of this species. The body has dark brown ground colour above, with silvery white spotting; the tail is slightly lighter. The parotoid glands are yellow. There are also lightly coloured patches above the eyes. The venter is unpigmented, forming sharp contrast with the dorsal colouration.[2]

Habitat and conservation

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Lyciasalamandra flavimembris is associated with rocky limestone outcrops[1] and occurs at elevations up to 890 m (2,920 ft) above sea level.[4] It is often found in maquis shrubland or pine woodlands. It is a rare species threatened by habitat loss from forest fires and by collection for scientific purposes.[1] However, while IUCN (2009) concluded that "there is only limited habitat loss taking place",[1] Göçmen and Kariş (2017) stated that the known populations "were under heavy habitat destruction".[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Yakup Kaska, Yusuf Kumlutaş, Aziz Avci, Nazan Üzüm, Can Yeniyurt, Ferdi Akarsu, Varol Tok, Ismail H. Ugurtas, Murat Sevinç, Pierre-André Crochet, Theodore Papenfuss, Max Sparreboom, Sergius Kuzmin, Steven Anderson, Mathieu Denoël (2009). "Lyciasalamandra flavimembris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61917A12572380. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61917A12572380.en.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Mutz, T. & Steinfartz, S. (1995). "Mertensiella luschani flavimembris ssp. n., eine neue Unterart des Lykischen Salamanders aus der Türkei (Caudata: Salamandridae)" [Mertensiella luschani flavimembris ssp. n., a new subspecies of the Lycian salamander from Turkey]. Salamandra. 31 (3): 137–148.
  3. ^ a b c Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Lyciasalamandra flavimembris (Mutz and Steinfartz, 1995)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Göçmen, B. & Kariş, M. (2017). "Comparative study on the endangered Marmaris Lycian salamander populations, Lyciasalamandra flavimembris (Mutz & Steinfartz, 1995) (Caudata: Salamandridae), with the description of several new localities". North-Western Journal of Zoology. 13: 49–57.