Greek smooth newt

The Greek smooth newt or Greek newt (Lissotriton graecus) is a newt species found in the southern Balkans, from southern Croatia (Dalmatia) over Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia to Greece and south-westernmost Bulgaria.^{[4][5]: 234}

Greek smooth newt
Female (background) and male during breeding season
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Urodela
Family:	Salamandridae
Genus:	Lissotriton
Species:	L. graecus
Binomial name
Lissotriton graecus (Wolterstorff, 1906)[2]
Range (hatching indicates unclear contact zones with L. vulgaris and L. schmidtleri)
Synonyms[3]
15 synonyms Triton vulgaris graeca Wolterstorff, 1906 Triton vulgaris intermedia Kolombatovic, 1907 Triton vulgaris graeca forma tomasinii Wolterstorff, 1908 Triton vulgaris graeca forma corcyrensis Wolterstorff, 1908 Triton meridionalis var. graeca Schreiber, 1912 Triton vulgaris graeca Wolterstorff, 1912 Triton meridionalis var. graeca forma tomasinii Schreiber, 1912 Triton vulgaris forma schreiberi Wolterstorff, 1914 Triton vulgaris forma schreiberi Wolterstorff, 1925 Triton (Palaeotriton) vulgaris graecus Bolkay, 1927 Triturus vulgaris graecus Mertens and Müller, 1928 Triturus vulgaris tomasinii Mertens and Müller, 1928 Triturus vulgaris schreiberi Mertens and Müller, 1940 Triturus meridionalis graeca Bodenheimer, 1944 Lissotriton (Lissotriton) (vulgaris) graecus Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2009

Taxonomy

Willy Wolterstorff described the species in 1906 as Triton vulgaris graeca, a subspecies of the smooth newt.^[2] After genetic data had suggested the smooth newt was a complex of distinct lineages,^[6] Dubois and Raffaëlli, in 2009, recognised several subspecies, including the Greek smooth newt, as distinct species.^[7] This was followed by subsequent authors.^[3][4][8] Molecular phylogenetics suggested that the closest relative of the Greek smooth newt is Kosswig's smooth newt (Lissotriton kosswigi) from northwestern Anatolia.^[8]

Description

The species differs from other species in the smooth newt species complex mainly in the male secondary characters during breeding season.^[4] The male dorsal crest is less than 1 mm high and has smooth edges. The belly has many small spots, but the lower tail fin is usually unspotted. The well-developed dorso-lateral folds give the body a square shape. Toe flaps on the hind feet are well developed.^[5]: 234

Conservation status

It is assessed as Least Concern globally in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and supposed tolerance of a broad range of habitats. However, there is evidence that, in some large parts of the range, it is declining fast due to anthropogenic alterations (pollution, drying out of its habitat due to climate change, destruction of its habitat for commercial and touristic development, introduction of alien species, etc.). The species has been negatively impacted by the introduction of fish, particularly in the northern part of its range in Montenegro.^[1]

References

1. Crnobrnja-Isailović, J.; Denoel, M.; Speybroeck, J.; Wielstra, B. (2024). "Lissotriton graecus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T79077482A228184805.
2. Wolterstorff, W. (1906). "Über Triton vulgaris L. subsp. graeca". Zoologischer Anzeiger (in German). 29: 137–139.
3. Frost, D.R. (2020). "Lissotriton graecus (Wolterstorff, 1906)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. New York, USA: American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
4. Wielstra, B.; Canestrelli, D.; Cvijanović, M.; et al. (2018). "The distributions of the six species constituting the smooth newt species complex (Lissotriton vulgaris sensu lato and L. montandoni) – an addition to the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe" (PDF). Amphibia-Reptilia. 39 (2): 252–259. doi:10.1163/15685381-17000128. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2019.
5. Sparreboom, M. (2014). Salamanders of the Old World: The Salamanders of Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. Zeist, The Netherlands: KNNV Publishing. doi:10.1163/9789004285620. ISBN 9789004285620.
6. Babik, W.; Branicki, W.; Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J.; et al. (2005). "Phylogeography of two European newt species – discordance between mtDNA and morphology". Molecular Ecology. 14 (8): 2475–2491. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02605.x. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 15969729. S2CID 7484766.
7. Dubois, A. & Raffaëlli, J. (2017). "A new ergotaxonomy of the family Salamandridae Goldfuss, 1820 (Amphibia, Urodela)". Alytes. 26: 1–85. S2CID 85602660.
8. Pabijan, M.; Zieliński, P.; Dudek, K.; Stuglik, M. & Babik, W. (2017). "Isolation and gene flow in a speciation continuum in newts". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 116: 1–12. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.08.003. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 28797693.