Russian Journal of Herpetology

Vol. 15, No. 3, 2008, pp. 169 172

ON DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF Neurergus kaiseri (CAUDATA: SALAMANDRIDAE) Mozafar Sharifi,1* Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani,1 Vahid Akmali,2 and Somayeh Assadian Narengi2
Submitted September 14, 2006. Newts of the genus Neurergus in south-western Iran are amongst the least known amphibian taxa in the country. Since 1975, few scientific record have reported for Neurergus kaiseri. Morphological characteristics and habitat preferences of Neurergus kaiseri have been described from Taleh Zang stream in southern Zagros Mountains, Iran, in an area not previously known as a habitat for this newt. In the stream, where the newt was found channel substrate, channel width, adjacent riparian plant community type, and land use practice were determined. Visual estimates were made of percent channel substrate composition showed that this newt more often (45%) occupies aquatic microenvironments with substrate of pebbles and fine texture. Various factors threatening this species including lack of suitable highland streams, presence of a cyprinid fish (Barbus sp.) which is known to prey upon eggs and larvae of the amphibians and also illegal collecting and trade are discussed. Keywords: Salamandridae, Neurergus kaiseri, Zagros Mountains, Lorestan Province, morphology, ecology.

INTRODUCTION Due to scarcity of inland freshwater, relatively few species of Caudata occur in Iran. These include seven species of the genera Triturus, Batrachuperus, Neurergus, and Salamandera (Baloutch and Kami, 1995). Newts of the genus Neurergus have been reported to have a relatively wide distribution, ranging from western Iran (Zagros Mountains) and extending into Iraq and southern Turkey (Baloutch and Kami, 1995). In Iran this genus encompasses three allopatric species including N. kaiseri in southern Zagros (Schmidt, 1952), N. microspilotus in several highland streams in western Zagros (Schmidt, 1952; Sharifi and Assadian, 2004), and N. crocatus in northern Zagros (Cope, 1889; Nesterov, 1916; Schmidt, 1952). Available information on conservation biology of the Iranian salamanders is scarce. Investigations made in 1970s (Schmidtler and Schmidtler, 1975) have indicated that three of four species of salamanders belonging to the genus Neurergus (N. crocatus, N. microspilotus, and N. kaiseri) occur in Iran. There is no recent information on distribution and abundance of N. kaiseri available on the basis of which possible assessment of conservation status would be possible.
Razi University Center for Environmental studies, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah 67149, Iran. 2 Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. * E-mail: sharifimozafar@gmail.com
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Neurergus kaiseri was first described as a subspecies of Neurergus crocatus (Schmidt, 1952). In 1975, Schmidtler and Schmidtler described Neurergus kaiseri as one of the three allopatric species of Neurergus occurring in Iran. Description made by Schmidtler and Schmidtler was based on specimens collected from Etwa (11 km north of Shahbazan, Lorestan Province, Iran). Apparently, the distribution range of this newt includes Shahbazan region in Lorestan Province about 70 km northwest of Dizfull (Fig. 2). The aims of the present study are to provide information to indicate geographic distribution and conservation biology of Neurergus kaiseri. MATERIAL AND METHODS Streams, ponds and springs were searched for adult and larvae of Neurergus kaiseri in south-Zagros range, Lorestan Province, southwestern Iran. In streams where the newt was found, channel substrates, channel width, adjacent riparian plant community type and land use practice were determined. Where possible, relative abundance of Neurergus kaiseri was determined and expressed as individuals per every ten meters Visual estimates were made of percent channel substrate composition (Wilkins and Peterson, 2000) by bedrock, boulder (>256 mm diameter), cobble (64 256 mm diameter),

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% Occurence

30

15
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N. kaiseri sighted in 1975 N. kaiseri sighted in 2005 Rivers

0 Bedrock Boulder Cobble Gravel Pebble Sand

Dez Lake

Fig. 1. Percent occurrence of N. kaiseri in various substrate size groups in Taleh Zang stream (n = 72).

Streams Railroad Dez Lake 3240

TABLE 1. Definitions of the Morphological Characters Used in This Study CharDefinition acter Standard length, from tip of snout to posterior margin of cloacal lips. TL Tail length, posterior margin of cloacal lips to tip of tail. TOL Total length, from tip of snout to tip of tail. CL Cloacal length from anterior margin to posterior margin of cloacal lips. GCL Groin/cloacal length, from anterior margin of hind leg (axilla) to posterior margin of cloacal lips. DEX Distance of extremities, posterior margin of front leg (axilla) to anterior margin of hind leg (groin). FLL Front leg length-posterior margin of front leg (axilla) to tip of the length finger. UAL Upper arm length posterior margin of front leg (axilla) to angle of elbow. LAL Lower arm/hand length, angle of elbow to tip of the longest toe. HLL Hind leg length-anterior margin of hind leg (groin) to tip of longest toe. THL Thigh length, anterior margin of hind leg to angle of knee. LLL Lower leg/foot length, angle of knee to tip of longest toe. ELL Eye/front leg length, anterior margin of eye to posterior margin of front leg (axilla). HH Height of head, margin of lower jaw to roof of skull (in line with the eyes). BBH Breast/back height, breast bone (in line with the anterior margin of front legs) to dorsal surface. CBH Cloacae/back height, Anterior margin of cloacal lips to dorsal surface. TBBH Tail base/back height, base of tail (behind the posterior margin of cloacal (lips) to dorsal surface. HL Head length, tip of snout to posterior region of neck. SEL Snout/eye length, tip of snout to anterior margin of eye. DN Distance of nostrils, from one nostril to the other. NELI Nostril/eye length I, nostril to anterior margin of eye. NELII Nostril/eye length II, nostril to posterior margin of eye. ED Eye diameter, anterior to posterior margin of eye. IOD Inter orbital distance, shortest distance between eyes (from a dorsal view). HW Head width, largest width (approximately at the corner of the mouth). ML Mouth length, tip of snout to the corner of the mouth. SVL

Fig. 2. Distribution map of Neurergus kaiseri in southern Zagros Range in Lorestan Province.

gravel (16 64 mm diameter), pebble (2 16 mm diameter), fine sediment and coarse woody debris. Thirteen adult male specimens of Neurergus kaiseri were collected from Taleh Zang stream in Lorestan province, southwestern Iran. The newts brought to laboratory alive and were carefully examined. Twenty six metric characters of all the specimens were studied (Table 1). These characters were measured by Caliper. Using descriptive statistics, the mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation of all the characters were calculated (Table 2). STUDY AREAS The Iranian basin is a large triangular depression flanked by Elburz Mountains in the north and Zagros Mountains in the west. The Zagros Mountains extend diagonally from eastern Turkey to the north of the Persian Gulf and Pakistan border. The Zagros Mountains act as barriers to the incoming air parcels from the west and receive precipitation according to their height and longitude. The weather condition in the southern edge of the Iranian plateau in southern-Zagros Range is characterized by a prolonged hot summer with little or no freezing period in winter. Although average annual precipitation in this area is around 500 mm, most of this comes as rain in January and February. Since Zagros range in southern edge of the Iranian plateau has higher elevations compared with western Zagros, streams originated from this part of the range have relatively higher discharge rate. These relatively bigger streams are located in a catchment area with less vegetation cover. As a result, the streams in southern Zagros where the Neurergus kaiseri is found are less shaded with vegetation.

On Distribution and Conservation Status of Neurergus kaiseri (Caudata: Salamandridae) RESULTS AND DISCUSSION On the basis of specimens collected in this study, Neurergus kaiseri when matures ranges between 109 131 mm (Table 2). This species is characteristically different from the other two newts of the genus Neurergus, occurring in Iran, by a long and narrow band of yellow color with several round bleach of white color. This gives a wavy appearance to N. kaiseri. Dorsal and lateral side of the animal is black but the underneath is whitish. Between the eyes at the top of head there is a white patch which gets thinner as closes to the snout. On the back of each eye there is one yellow patch which extends towards the jaw. Present study on morphology of newts collected from Taleh Zang stream confirms Schmidt (1952) description of similar species from Shahbazan. He also distinguished his specimens by the confluence of the dorsal light spots into an irregular yellow mid dorsal band, bordered on each side by a continuous broader black band. This study conducted during 26 29 March 2003. Since only few female specimens were found it would be safe to suggest that the movement of N. kaiseri from their winter ground to the aquatic habitat was not completed until the end of March. No night-time observation made during this time, therefore, it is not known whether this newt performs a nightly mass migration to its aquatic ground. Females were recognized from males upon their swollen bodies, indicating presence of enlarged ovarian follicles, and/or the flat shape of the cloacae. Eggs are laid singly or in small clumps on aquatic vegetation or on rocks. Although no information is available regarding wintering activity of N. kaiseri, the appearance of the animals in early spring and their disappearance in summer suggests that this newt requires both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. The presence of N. kaiseri in Taleh Zang stream has not been known previously. This newt has only been reported from Shahbazan in north east of Dizful (Schmidt, 1952; Schmidtler and Schmidtler, 1975; Baloutch and Kami, 1995). Although Taleh Zang stream is a first order stream but considerable amount of water is added to the stream at the Taleh Zang fall causing a small first order stream to develop into a medium-sized river in a short distance. The Taleh Zang stream which is situated above the Tale Zang Fall, is a small stream at 1500 2000 m above sea level joining to the main rivers in the lowland catchments of the Dez-Karkheh at Iran-Iraq border. The streams vary considerably in length, depth as well as in the vegetation of the surrounding. Most of the N. kaiseri specimens observed in this study were found in the upper reaches of the stream above the Tale Zang Fall (Fig. 3). Since high water discharges at lower reaches of

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Taleh Zang stream makes the situation for N. kaiseri seemingly intolerable, it is plausible to suggest that some of relatively few N. kaiseri specimens seen at lower reach of the stream have been drifted by spring flushes (Fig. 4). Terrestrial habitats occupied by N. kaiseri include diverse community types encompassing oak-pistachio open woodlands dominated by Quercus brantti and Pistachio spp. This open woodland grows on various soil types including deep sandy loam soils at the bottom of valleys or gravelly soils at the slopes of steep valleys. The above stream vegetation cover in the Taleh Zang region is characteristically less than streams in western Zagros where N. microspilotus is found (Sharifi and Assadian, 2004). Unlike N. microspilotus in western Zagros which is threatened due to habitat loss through divergence of streams for irrigation of cultivated lands and water pollution (Sharifi and Assadian, 2004), habitat loss does not appear to be a major problem for N. kaiseri in southern Zagros presumably because of the lack of land in the very harsh mountainous terrain. Only in lowlands far below the habitat of N. kaiseri attempts have

TABLE 2. Descriptive Statistics of 26 Metric Characters for 13 Specimens of Neurergus kaiseri Used in This Study Character SVL TOL TL GCL DEX UAL LAL THL LLL CL HH HL SEL DN NELI NELII ED IOD HW ML FLL HLL EFLL BBH TBBH CBH Mean 60.37 121.56 63.95 11.59 26.22 6.70 13.11 5.86 12.65 7.57 4.98 14.53 8.49 2.93 4.20 7.29 3.79 4.25 10.26 9.53 17.34 17.63 16.11 6.34 4.29 7.13 S.E. 1.19 8.66 0.82 0.26 0.52 0.17 0.28 0.19 0.35 0.26 0.17 0.29 0.15 0.09 0.11 0.11 0.10 0.12 0.10 0.20 0.41 0.37 0.29 0.19 0.11 0.14 Min. 52.86 109.48 59.22 10.14 22.54 5.62 11.08 4.52 10.72 5.82 3.93 12.68 7.64 2.46 3.46 6.74 3.24 3.58 9.74 8.44 15.38 15.24 14.38 5.36 3.66 6.42 Max. 67.42 130.74 69.14 12.68 28.44 8.22 14.66 7.08 15.42 9.22 5.84 16.48 9.54 3.58 4.48 8.08 4.22 4.68 10.78 10.68 19.94 19.62 17.7 7.42 4.96 8.38

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Fig. 3. Neurergus kaiseri in Taleh Zang stream in southern Zagros Mountains, Lorestan Province, Iran.

Fig. 4. Taleh Zang fall in southern Zagros Range divides Neurergus kaiseri habitat. Newts bellow this fall are few and have presumably been drifted by spring flushes.

been made as to construct a complex of reinforced terraces of land, which is cultivated by various crops. However, one important factor that may have a significant effect on conservation biology of N. kaiseri is the presence of at least one species of cyprinid fish which is known to prey upon eggs and larvae of the newt. This fish are present up to the Taleh Zang fall where some N. kaiseri have been observed. There are at least one European company advertising to trade N. kaiseri and also reports of more Iranian pet shops which sale the animal. Aquatic habitats used by N. kaiseri varied considerably. In lower reach of the stream below Taleh Zang fall (Figs. 3 and 4) the newt can only be seen in water fringes well away from strong water currents. These areas are normally covered by clay or sand. At upper reaches of the stream above the Taleh Zang fall, the animal has a wider range of habitat preference. Frequency distribution of various aquatic microhabitats used by N. kaiseri is shown in Fig. 1. These microhabitats are distinguished on the basis of channel substrate composition. The pattern of habitat selection in N. kaiseri is characterized by high occurrence in sandy substrates. This is presumably due to high velocity of water at the inner parts of the stream channel. Similar observations made on habitat selection in N. microspilotus showed that this newt tends to choose pebble substrate (Sharifi and Assadian, 2004). Neurergus kaiseri has been evaluated as an endangered [EN B1 ab(iii) + 2ab(iii)] species by IUNC on the basis of severely fragmented habitats in less than five locations and also continuing decline in the extent of occurrence. Although this study reports a new habitat

for the species but the status of the species should remain the same because there are only two known areas of occupancy for this species with deteriorating habitats due to the presence of predatory fish and illegal collecting. REFERENCES
Assadian S. and Sharifi M. (2003), Reproductive biology of the yellow spotted newt Neurergus microspilotus in western Iran, in: Proc. of the 1st Iranian Conf. on Animal Sci. and Biodiv., Kerman University, Kerman. Baloutch M. and Kami H. (1995), Amphibians of Iran, Tehran Univ. Press [in Farsi]. Cope E. D. (1889), The Batrachia of North America, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 34, 1 525. Nesterov P. V. (1916), Trois formes nouvelles dAmphibiens (Urodela) du Kurdistan, Annu. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Imp. St. Petersbourg, 21, 1 30 [in Russian]. Schmidt K. P. (1952), Diagnoses of new amphibians and reptiles from Iran, Nat. Hist. Misc., 93, 1 2. Schmidtler J. J. and Schmidtler J. F. (1975), Untersuchujngen an westpersischen Bergbachmolchen der Gattung Neurergus (Caudata, Salamandridae), Salamandra, 11, 84 98. Sharifi M. and Assadian S. (2004), Distribution and conservation status of Neurergus microspilotus (Caudata: Salamandridae) in western Iran, Asiatic Herpetol. Res., 10, 224 229. Wilkings R. N. and Peterson N. P. (2000), Factors related to amphibian occurance and abundance in headwater streams draining second-growth Douglas-Fir forests in southwestern Washington, Forest Ecol. Manag., 139, 79 91.