| Anatolian crested newt | |
|---|---|
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| Female (above) and male (below) | |
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Salamandridae |
| Genus: | Triturus |
| Species: | T. anatolicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Triturus anatolicus Wielstra & Arntzen 2016 | |
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The Anatolian crested newt (Triturus anatolicus) is a species of newt endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was initially considered to belong to the southern crested newt (Triturus karelinii) and then the Balkan crested newt (Triturus ivanbureschi). The three species form a complex of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Genetic data demonstrated the Anatolian crested newt to be distinct from the other two species, although it hybridises with the Balkan crested newt at its western range end.
With its two closely related species, the Anatolian crested newt is more stockily built than the other crested newts, and reaches 10–13 cm in length. It is semiaquatic, spending most of the year on land and only returning to water for breeding. The species does not seem to be immediately threatened.
Systematics and taxonomy
The Anatolian crested newt was described by Ben Wielstra and Jan Willem Arntzen in 2016. Mitochondrial DNA data had already suggested that it was a separate species in a 2013 study, but the authors had preferred to await a more detailed analysis before formal species description and temporarily included it in the Balkan crested newt (Triturus ivanbureschi), which had been split from the southern crested newt (T. karelinii). Nuclear DNA analysis then confirmed that its populations form a distinct gene pool, although it detected a hybrid zone where the species' range borders that of its sister species, the Balkan crested newt, in western Anatolia.
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| Position of the Anatolian crested newt in the phylogenetic tree of genus Triturus, as suggested by analysis of complete mitochondrial DNA. |
Description
No morphological criteria are known to distinguish the Anatolian crested newt from the Balkan and the southern crested newt; the three are cryptic species. Like the other two closely related species, it is a rather stout newt which measures 10 to 13 centimetres (3.9 to 5.1 in) and has 12–13 rib-bearing vertebrae. Its back and sides are brown–black with darker spots; the underside is orange with black blotches whose pattern is variable among individuals. Females do not develop a crest and swollen cloaca, and have a smaller tail fin during the aquatic phase.
Distribution and habitats
The species is endemic to northern Anatolia on the Black Sea coast, where its range extends roughly from the Bosphorus and Bursa in the west to Trabzon in the east, reaching no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland.
Behaviour and ecology
See also: Triturus § Behaviour and ecologyLike other Triturus species, the Anatolian crested newt initially develops in the water, but spends most of the year in shady habitats on land as an adult. It returns to breeding ponds every year, where males develop a conspicuous dorsal crests and court the females. Eggs are folded in leaves of water plants.
Threats and conservation
It is thougt to have a large population and wide distribution and as such is listed as least concern. Ongoing urbanization and intensification of land use is reducing the quality of its habitat and breeding ponds. Some of its historical habitats have now been converted to fruit gardens and vegetable fields, and it is unknown whether the species is persisting there. Small-scale agriculture is therefore considered a threat.
All crested newts are listed in the Bern Convention (appendix II) and the EU Habitats Directive (annex II and IV), which prohibit capture, disturbance, killing, trade, and destruction of habitats.
This species was rediscovered in January of 2024.
See also
References
- ^ Amphibian Specialist Group (2023). "Triturus anatolicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T113890689A113890691. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T113890689A113890691.en. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Wielstra, B.; Arntzen, J.W. (2016). "Description of a new species of crested newt, previously subsumed in Triturus ivanbureschi (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae)". Zootaxa. 4109 (1): 73–80. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4109.1.6. hdl:1887/3281018. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 27394852.
- Wielstra, B.; Litvinchuk, S.N.; Naumov, B.; Tzankov, N.; Arntzen, J.W. (2013). "A revised taxonomy of crested newts in the Triturus karelinii group (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae), with the description of a new species". Zootaxa. 3682 (3): 441–53. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3682.3.5. hdl:1887/3281008. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 25243299.
- Wielstra, B.; Arntzen, J.W. (2011). "Unraveling the rapid radiation of crested newts (Triturus cristatus superspecies) using complete mitogenomic sequences". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 16. Bibcode:2011BMCEE..11..162W. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-162. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 3224112. PMID 21672214.
- Jehle, R.; Thiesmeier, B.; Foster, J. (2011). The crested newt. A dwindling pond dweller. Bielefeld, Germany: Laurenti Verlag. ISBN 978-3-933066-44-2.
- "Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats". Bern: Council of Europe. 1979. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- Council directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (1992L0043). 1 January 2007. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- "Nesli tehlike altındaki Anadolu şeritli semenderi tespit edildi". NTV (in Turkish). 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
External links
| Triturus species | ||
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| Crested newts |
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| Marbled newts |
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| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Triturus anatolicus | |