Near Eastern fire salamander

A small Asian salamander, photographed in Carmel Mountains in northern Israel.

The Asia Minor fire salamander ( Salamandra infraimmaculata ) is a species of amphibian in the family of Real salamander. The occurring in the Middle East salamander was first described in 1885 by the German naturalist Carl Eduard von Martens ( 1831-1904 ). The salamander lives on the coast of the southern, central Turkey, on the coast of Syria, Lebanon, in northern Israel (northern and western Galilee, Mount Carmel, Tel Dan ), as well as in isolated populations in the southwestern and eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and in a small area in northwestern Iran.

Features

The Asia Minor fire salamander is the largest Salamandra species and can reach a length of 32 cm, females are usually larger than males. Usually the animals are but smaller. In a study in Turkey average of 18-19 inches and a maximum of just under 24 inches were measured Animals in Israel were on average 10 to 14 inches long. As the animals continue to grow throughout their lives, the body size is strongly dependent on age. As the ordinary fire salamander Salamandra is infraimmaculata patterned black and with large yellow spots. The belly is completely black. On the top view nearly round head can be found usually four spots, one on each parotid gland ( gland ear ) and above each eye. The spots on the parotid glands are typically somewhat smaller than in the European fire salamander and do not cover them completely. The spots on the back are often around in the Nominatunterart and arranged in a single row, along with irregular small patches occur. The subspecies Semenovi other hand, shows a dense pattern of small yellow spots and rings. The animals are not safe distinguishable from the other Salamandra species alone after staining pattern. A relatively reliable test for distinguishing of Salamandra salamandra is the color of the discharge pores of the poison glands on the yellow ear patches glands: They contribute Salamadra salamandra a black dot that is missing all southerly distributed species.

Subspecies

There are three subspecies:

• P i infraimmaculata, the nominate form, is found in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and southeastern Turkey.
• S. orientalis i has smaller yellow spots and occurs in the central southern Turkey. The type locality of the subspecies is located near Adana. The subspecies is not universally recognized.
• P i Semenovi is large and has rosette-like, round spots on the entire body. P i Semenovi comes in Iran: Kordestān and Zagros Mountains, in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq before. However, recent findings come in the mountains near Marivan and Sarvabad and Siya Güvez in Iraq

Way of life

Over the life of Asia Minor fire salamander little is known. Since p i infraimmaculata in warmer climates lives as the fire salamander, he could be active only in the winter, much like the North African fire salamander ( Salamandra algira ). S. orientalis and S. i i Semenovi contrast, occur in higher mountainous regions and are more likely to be active during the summer months.

In Israel, the salamander larvae develop mainly in permanently water-bearing or low-tide in summer rock pools with a maximum depth of about two meters. The ponds are partially - fed spring water. Occurrence in rivers are also known, such are eg also from the front of Turkey. Larvae are deposited in the autumn ( from September); they develop until the following spring to terrestrial living pups. The females are adapted to the unpredictable onset of the rainy period by almost permanently to keep mature oocytes in the ovaries, the larvae need to metamorphosis about six to eight weeks; in permanent waters, however, remains a smaller proportion until the following fall in the water. They are aggressive to each other and are prone to cannibalism. The land-living animals are active only in rainy nights that occur in the region in autumn and winter (until January ). The animals generally show loyalty to their own development waters; marked and recaptured animals but were rarely found also at distances of more than a kilometer from their own development waters. Females lay three to four years from the first pups. Adult animals can be very old; held in terrariums reached an age of 14 years.

The animals have in their waters few natural enemies. However, they are threatened by used for mosquito control mosquito Western fish ( Gambusia affinis ). Country Living Animals prey to beetles of the genus Epomis.

Swell

• Steinfartz, S., Veith, M., and Tautz, D. ( 2000). Mitochondrial sequence analysis of Salamandra taxa Suggests old splits of major lineages and postglacial recolonizations of Central Europe from distinct source populations of Salamandra salamandra. Molecular Ecology, (9 ), 397-410. PMID 10736043
• AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. Salamandra infraimmaculata. , 2014. Berkeley, California. ( Accessed on February 3, 2014).
• Amphibian Species of the World 6.0: Salamandra infraimmaculata American Museum of Natural History. ( Accessed on February 3, 2014).