Lanza's alpine salamander

Lanza's Alpine Salamander ( Salamandra lanzai )

Lanza's Alpine Salamander ( Salamandra lanzai ) is an up to 16 -centimeter-long salamander from the family Salamandridae. The species lives only in a small area of the western Alps in the border region between Italy and France. She is the alpine salamander ( Salamandra atra ) are very similar, but has a more robust physique and a rounded tail on. Occasionally Salamandra lanzai will be described as a subspecies of the Alpine salamander, since variability for a "real" species seems to be very low from a genetic point of view.

Features

The animals reach a height of up to 16.2 centimeters. They are like the Alpine salamander uniformly colored paint black, but a bit stockier than this. Under hand, there is a lead- gray color and here runs a longitudinal groove to tail. The male can be distinguished externally from females by a slightly more curved sewer.

At the top of the protruding ear glands ( parotid glands ) are clearly visible next to the black eyes. Along the side of the body, the animals have a number of elongated projections and warty containing glands outputs. The fuselage is laterally segmented by eleven to thirteen ribs furrows. The tail is slightly longer than the body and ends rounded.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the species is restricted to the southwestern Cozie Alps in the western Piedmont. The habitats are similar to those of the Alpine salamander. Lanza's Alpine Salamander is found at altitudes between 1,200 and 2,600 meters MSL, where habitats mostly like damp alpine meadows, dwarf shrub heath and scree slopes are populated. You can meet here he is, for example, under rocks or dead wood.

Way of life

Lanza's Alpine Salamander are mainly active at night and feed on zoophag of insects, spiders, various larvae, woodlice, snails and earthworms.

Threats and conservation

Mainly due to the very limited living space might be a particular threat to the animal; However, special precautions are known.

Legal protection status (selection)

• Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive ( FFH Directive ) Annex IV ( strictly protected species )
• Federal Nature Conservation Act ( Federal Nature Conservation Act ): strictly protected