Ichthyosaura alpestris (Laurenti, 1768)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.17109/AZH.67.2.177.2021 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12626325 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AC87A1-7845-FFC3-FEBB-B1237F41FD8C |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Ichthyosaura alpestris |
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Ichthyosaura alpestris View in CoL bakonyiensis ( Dely, 1964)
( Figs 4–8 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig )
Synonym: Triturus alpestris bakonyiensis Dely, 1964
Holotype: HNHM-HER-61.27.1., adult female, collected between 7–12 of May, 1961 by O. Gy. Dely. Type locality: Ajka-Felsőcsinger, Bocskor Hill, Bakony Mountains , Veszprém County, Hungary ( Fig. 4 View Fig ).
Paratypes: one adult female (HNHM-HER-2002.45.2.) collected between 7–12 of May, 1961, and two adult males (HNHM-HER-2002.45.1., HNHM-HER-2002.45.3.) collected between 9–12. of May, 1961 by O. Gy. Dely. at the same location as the holotype .
Redescription and diagnosis: Body more or less short and robust. Total length is be- tween 70.6–77.9 mm (mean = 73 mm) (males) and 78.3–95.0 mm (mean = 85.43 mm) (fe- males), body length is 41.5–46.3 mm (mean = 42 mm) (males) and 46.2–56.3 mm (mean = 49.15 mm) (females). Head robust and wide (especially at the corner of eyes) ( Fig. 6 View Fig ). Snout longish, abruptly descending until the corner of mouth. Tip of snout is widely (males) or less widely (females) rounded until the outer edge of nares. Nares are positioned in the lat- eral corner of snout. Upper jaws form a semicircle from the nares running to the caudal di- rection and reach their widest point in the last third of the head, from where they continue slightly more narrow (males), or they diverge gradually until the caudal end of eyes where they reach the maximum width. From here, they continue nearly parallel (females). Lips are weakly developed. Palatal teeth start at the lower end of choanae, forming V-shape, with caudal ends slightly bending outward.
Body is robust, limbs are short. When bending the forelimb forward, 1st finger stretches until between frontal end of eyes and nares, 2nd finger slightly outreaches tip of snout, while 3rd finger far outreaches tip of snout. When bending forelimb backwards and hindlimb forward along the body, 3rd finger of forelimb touches the tubercle of hindlimb. The length of the forelimb is 56.95–66.52% (mean = 60.5%) (males) and 48.46–63.08% (mean = 55%) (females) of the distance between forelimb and hindlimb.
Dorsal surface of males is greenish brown or greenish purple. The low mid-dorsal crest runs from the end of the head to the end of the tail, is yellow with black spots, and is 1–2 mm high. Body flank is ornated with a longitudinal band consisting of black spots with greyish-white margins. Below the band there is a bright blue stripe. Same stripe stretches on the sides of the head from the snout to the shoulders. Tail is a bit lighter or darker than body, with smaller black spots; ventral edge is yellow with black spots. Ventral surface is reddish orange, throat is light yellow with small grey spots. Limbs and cloaca are ornated with black spots.
Dorsal surface of females is greyish-green with reddish-brown marble pattern. A light stripe running from the end of the head to the end of the tail. The edge of the dorsal and ventral surfaces is densely covered with small black spots. Similar pattern is found between the tip of snout and the shoulders. Tail has the same colour as the dorsal surface of body, covered with marbled pattern and small black patches; ventral edge is yellow with several small black dots above. Ventral surface is orange. Upper parts of limbs and fingers are with small black patches. Cloaca has the same colour as dorsal surface of the body.
Skull is medium size, slim and flat, sharply chopped in the middle. Length of skull is 9.2–9.3 mm (mean = 9.25 mm) (males) and 9.8–10.6 mm (mean = 10.12 mm) (females). Length of skull is 12.9–13.1% (mean = 13%) (males) and 11.2–12.5% (mean = 11,8%) (fe- males) of total body size. Width of skull is 57.6–62.3% (mean = 59.9%) (males) and 61.2–66% (mean = 63.7%) (females) of skull length. Width of quadratum is 76.0–78.4% (mean = 77.2%) (males) and 74–78.3 % (mean = 77%) (females) of the skull length. Snout more (males) or less (females) rounded, maxillarae form a semicircle running to caudal direction. Processus posteriores of the maxillarae are long, located close to the anterior ends of ptegygoideum, overreaching them and positioned a bit inwards compared to the quadratae. Cavum inter- nasale do not reach upper edge of nares. Nasaliae are elongated ( Fig. 8 View Fig ).
The index of regio otica compared to the condylobasal distance in anteroposterior direction is 29–29.3% (mean = 29.1%) (males) and 27.3–30% (mean = 29.1%) (females). The width index of regio otica is 103–111% (mean = 107%) (males) and 103–124% (mean = 111.5%) (females). Buccal sacs are small and quadrangular. The anterosuperior ends of tympanica do not overlap with regio orbitale. Paraoccipital corners are moderate. The neu- rocranium is 62.5–63.5% (mean = 63%) (males) and 61.4–71.9% (mean = 64.4%) (females) of the visceral cranium.
The intermaxillare reach the midline of vomero-palatine apparatus. Palatal teeth start at the inferior ends of choanae. From the starting point the two rows run apart caudal di- rection and end far before the dorsal edge of the quadratum. The two rows of the V-shaped teeth are straight, caudal ends are slightly bending outward.
From lateral view the skull is flat. It starts inclined, and from the upper edge of the nostril it ascends until the caudal end of choanae; from here it runs straight until the arch above the foramen magnum; from here it abruptly (males) or gradually (females) descends until the upper edge of foramen magnum.
From posterior view the skull is flat and wide. The foramen magnum is quadrangu- lar; the arch above is present mostly at males. Buccal sacs are depressed, canalis semicircu- laris is developed. The dorso-occipital line in lateral direction is either straight (males) or slightly cascading (females). Both fenestra ovalis are entirely visible ( Fig. 8 View Fig ).
Ichthyosaura alpestris bakonyiensis differs from I. a. alpestris in head shape, shape of vomero-palatinal teeth, shape and structure of skull, and some morphometric parameters such as full body length, tail length, forelimb length, length between tip of snout and gular fold, and distance between anterior corner of eye and forelimb (in males) or forelimb length and distance between anterior corner of eye and forelimb (in females).
Known range: Bakony Mountains and Őrség-Vendvidék Region, Hungary.
Protection status and threats: I. alpestris is strictly protected in Hungary (Decree 100/2012 (IX. 28.) VM). The most important threats to the species are destruction and desic- cation of breeding sites, an increasing number of predators (e.g. wild boar; fish), improper wildlife management and use of forests, tourism, the spread of technical sports ( VÖRÖS et al. 2014) and infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis ( VÖRÖS et al. 2018) or ranaviruses ( VÖRÖS et al. 2020).
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