BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST 13 (2): 114-119 ©Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2019 Article No.: e191304 http://biozoojournals.ro/bihbiol/index.html A new locality record of Triturus ivanbureschi Wielstra & Arntzen, 2013 (Amphibia: Salamandridae) in Western Anatolia, Turkey Çetin ILGAZ1, Huzeyfe HURIYET2 and Kerim ÇIÇEK3* 1. Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Buca-İzmir, Turkey. 2. Uludağ University, Faculty of Science and Arts, Department of Biology, Bursa-Turkey. 3. Section of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100, Izmir, Turkey. * Corresponding author, K. ÇIÇEK, E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] Received: 12. February 2019 / Accepted: 15. May 2019 / Available online: 19. May 2019 / Printed: December 2019 Abstract. The new locality for Triturus ivanbureschi is recorded in the inner part of western Anatolia. Morphological variation in a series of the thirteen newt specimens is also presented and morphological characteristics of the specimens compared with the previous studies in western Anatolia, Turkey. Key words: Triturus ivanbureschi, new locality, distribution, biodiversity, western Anatolia. Introduction & Baran 1993, Kumlutaş et al. 1998, Olgun et al. 2001, Düşen & Urhan 2008, Öz et al. 2009, Eser & Erişmiş 2014) but also Genus Triturus Rafinesque, 1815 is found from Great Britain cover information on ecology (Olgun et al. 2005, Üzüm & through most of continental Europe to westernmost Siberia, Olgun 2009a, b, Göçmen et al. 2015) and phylogenetic rela- Anatolia and the Caucasus. Also, there is apparently isolated tionships (Ivanovic et al. 2013, Wielstra et al. 2013, 2014a, populations in the southern Caspian region of northern Iran Wielstra & Arntzen 2016). The present paper includes the and Azerbaijan. Triturus newts comprises 10 recognized spe- description of morphometric measurements and the color- cies [Triturus anatolicus Wielstra & Arntzen 2016, T. ivanbure- pattern features of crested newts population recorded from schi Wielstra Litvinchuk Naumov Tzankow Arntzen 2013, T. new locality at the inner part of Anatolia. karelinii (Strauch 1870), T. dobrogicus (Kiritzescu 1903), T. carnifex (Laurenti 1768), T. macedonicus (Karaman, 1922), T. cristatus (Laurenti 1768), T. marmoratus (Latreille 1800), and Material and Methods T. pygmaeus (Wolterstorff 1905)] according to the modern During field trip in 2016 to Kütahya province at the inner part of concept (Wielstra et al. 2013, 2014a; Wielstra & Arntzen western Turkey, thirteen newts specimens were collected from 2016). Up to 2013, T. karelinii is accepted as a single species Karagöl, Akdağ, Simav, Kütahya, Turkey (39°16’17”N; 28°48’57’’E) without any taxonomical separation. In 2013, Balkan- on 14 May 2016 by the authors at elevation of approximately 1900 m Anatolian Crested Newt or Buresch’s Crested Newt, Triturus a.s.l. Newts (2 males and 11 females) were caught by dip netting. The ivanbureschi was described based on the material collected sex of each individual was determined by examination of external from Ostar Kamak, Bulgaria by Wielstra et al. (2013). It is secondary sexual characters. Males have a dorsal crest and promi- known from south-eastern part of Balkan Peninsula (most of nent (swollen) cloaca (Üzüm & Olgun 2009a) and also white, silver or grey stripe along tail. Geographic positions of the locality in Bulgaria, the eastern parts of Greece, Macedonia and Serbia) which specimens collected were recorded with a GPS receiver (Gar- and Anatolia. Finally, candidate species (Wielstra et al. min eTrex® 30). All material is deposited in the Zoology Laboratory 2014a) was named as Triturus anatolicus based on the mate- of the Department of Biology at Science and Arts Faculty, Uludağ rial captured from Gölköy, near Kalecik, Turkey (Wielstra & University, Turkey. All specimens were anesthetized with ether, Arntzen 2016). T. anatolicus is an endemic in Anatolia and fixed with a 96% ethanol injection and deposited in 96% ethanol as known from Bosphorus at the northern side of the Marmara described in Başoğlu & Özeti (1973). Color and pattern characteris- Sea to the town of Yomra, just east of the city of Trabzon, tics were recorded on live specimens. Morphologic data were re- corded following the system of Yılmaz (1983), Olgun et al. (2001) and northeastern Turkey (Wielstra & Arntzen 2016). Now, Turk- Düşen & Urhan (2009). The morphometric measurements were taken ish herpetofauna comprises two crested newt species: T. with dial calipers with an accuracy of 0.01 mm. The morphometric ivanbureschi – northwestern Anatolia, Turkish Thrace and the measurements used here are as follows: L = total length (measured Aegean region and T. anatolicus (Wielstra & Arntzen, 2016). from the tip of the snout to the tip of tail), Lsv = snout-vent length T. anatolicus and T. ivanbureschi form a hybrid zone at east of (measured from the snout to the posterior edge of the base of the clo- Lake Ulubat and west of the city of Bursa. However, T. ana- aca), Lc = head length (measured from the snout to the gular fold), tolicus and T. karelinii are separate from each other approxi- Ltc = had width (at widest point of head), Lcd= tail length (anterior mately 150 km away (Wielstra & Arntzen 2016). According edge of the cloaca to the tip of tail), Pa = forelimb length (shoulder joint to tip of the longest toe), Pp = hindlimb length (pelvic joint to to Wielstra et al. (2017), the hybrid zones of the crested newt tip of third toe), D = distance between fore and hindlimbs, O = eye in the Anatolia are to be far more mobile over time than is length, In = distance between nose holes. The following ratios of currently appreciated. The scientific papers on crested newts body measurements were calculated: Lc/L, Ltc/L, Lcd/L, Lc/Ltc, without in Turkey, which have been published so far are not Pa/D, Pp/D, Lsv/L, Lsv/Lcd, In/Ltc, O/Ltc, Ltc/Lsv, Ltc/Lc, only refer to data on distribution and systematic status of Ltc/Lsv, Lc/Lsv, Lcd/Lsv, Lcd/L, Pa/Lsv, Pa/Pp, Pp/Lsv, Pp/D species (Werner 1902, Bodenheimer 1944, Schmidtler & and Pa/D. The descriptive statistics of measurements and ratios Schmidtler 1967, Yılmaz 1983, 1989, Baran et al. 1992, Olgun were calculated using the SPSS software (version 10.0; IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). A new record of Triturus ivanbureschi in Turkey 115 Results 136.99 mm for a male specimen and maximum total length for females was 132.52 mm. The new locality indicates a The specimens observed in the present study were collected much wider distribution of the species within the inner part from a small lake with a water surface of approximately 1 ha of Anatolia (Fig. 3). and 1 m depth, while they were getting rest at the bottom. The lake was situated in the forest area with Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) and savin juniper (Juniperus sabina). It in- cludes dense vegetation (Fig. 1). Sympatric amphibian spe- cies observed were Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas 1771), Lisso- triton vulgaris (Linnaeus 1758) and Rana macrocnemis (Boulenger 1885). Figure 3. Distribution of Triturus ivanbureschi in Turkey, showing the Figure 1. Habitat of newt specimens, Karagöl, Akdağ, Simav, known distribution according to literature, with a star for the new Kütahya, Turkey. locality; 1-Sarayiçi; 2-Demirköy; 3-Poyralı; 4-Lüleburgaz; 5-Sarıcaali; 6-Babaeski; 7-Pehlivanköy; 8-Uzunköprü; 9-Keşan; 10-Hayrabolu; 11-Çorlu; 12-Saray; 13-Safaalan; 14-Dursunköy; The background ground color is brownish with more or 15-Halkalı; 16-Habibler; 17-Bahçeköy; 18-Alibahadır; 19-Şile; less distinct black spots i.e. males have lighter dorsum col- 20-Tekeköy; 21-Mollafeneri and Gebze; 22-İhsaniye; 23-Demirbey; oration than the females. All male specimens have very fine 24-Adapazarı; 25-Arifiye; 26-Sülüklü Lake; 27-Seben; 28-Safibey; white spots on the lower flanks. The color of the belly and 29-Mekece; 30-Gölcük; 31-Akçat; 32-Sugören and Orhangazi; throat is yellow in 9 specimens and vivid orange in 4 speci- 33-İznik; 34-Mustafalı and Kirazlıyayla; 35-Yenişehir; 36-Okluca; mens with small irregular pattern of black spots. Unlike fe- 37-Yakacık; 38-Bahçesultan; 39-Bursa; 40-Avdancık; 41-Yalıçiftlik; males, belly coloration is darker in male specimens (Fig. 2). 42-Unçukuru; 43-Eskikızılelma; 44-Tatkavaklı and Mustafakemal- paşa; 45-Karacabey; 46-Çavuşköy; 47-Sarıköy and Gönen; 48-Biga; 49-Lapseki; 50-Karakadılar and Çan; 51-Davutköy; 52-Ezine; 53-Kocabey and Bigadiç; 54-Salihler and Dikili; 55-Bergama; 56-Yamanlar; 57-Claros; 58-Efes; 59-Mersinbeleni; 60-Bozdağ; 61- Kula; 62-Süleymanlı and Buldan; 63-Başkomutan Historical Na- tional Park and Büyük Kalecik. Data from Düşen & Urhan (2008), Öz et al. (2009), Eser & Erişmiş (2014), Wielstra & Arntzen (2014b), Wielstra et al. (2017). Discussion The Balkan crested newt, T. ivanbureschi Arntzen & Wielstra 2013, is a newly described newt species of the crested newts Figure 2. Dorsolateral view of male and female newt specimens. complex in genus Triturus, distribute in south-eastern Balkan Peninsula to Western Anatolia (Wielstra et al. 2013, Wielstra & Arntzen, 2016). Besides, Northern Anatolian populations The descriptive statistics of the morphometric measure- is hybridized with T. anatolicus at east of Lake Uluabat and ments are presented in Table 1. Our specimens have all west of the city of Bursa (Wielstra & Arntzen, 2016). Our characteristic features of the crested newts: the combination new record is outside the known geographic boundaries of of a denticulated crest, a dark brown dorsal coloration and T. ivanbureschi and it is relatively close to the hybrid zone. In orange ventral side covered with black spots. They have such cases, the determination of species affiliations should large, stocky bodies, broad head and robust limbs. The mean be confirmed by further molecular studies. Lsv of males (± standard error) was 71.65±4.40 mm (range The morphological characters are compared with those 67.25–76.05, n = 2) and 69.46±2.32 mm (range 66.21–72.75, n of the specimens from western and inner Anatolia and Turk- = 11) in females.