Euproctus platycephalus (Gravenhorst, 1829)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Salamandridae > Subfamily: Pleurodelinae > Genus: Euproctus > Species: Euproctus platycephalus

Molge platycephala Gravenhorst, 1829, Delic. Mus. Zool. Vratislav., 1: 84. Syntype(s): Not stated, although presumably originally in the Breslau Museum (now MNHHWU). Type locality: Not stated; syntypes originally coming from Sardinia and Corsica but restricted to "Sardinien [= Sardinia]", Italy, by Mertens and Müller, 1928, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 41: 9.

Euproctus rusconii Gené, 1839, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, Ser. 2, 1: 282. Syntype(s): MZUT An622 (6 specimens), according to Gavetti and Andreone, 1993, Cat. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat., Torino, 10: 22. Type locality: "aquis lente fluentibus et cavis montium lacunis Sardiniae borealis et mediae", Sardinia, Italy; restricted by Mertens and Wermuth, 1960, Amph. Rept. Europas: 18, to "Monte Gennargentu, Sardinien", Italy. Synonymy by Bonaparte, 1839, Iconograph. Fauna Ital., 2 (Fasc. 26): 131; Bonaparte, 1840, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, Ser. 2, 2: 451; Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 24; Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854, Erp. Gen., 9: 142 (under Euproctus rusconi).

Euproctus platycephalusBonaparte, 1839, Iconograph. Fauna Ital., 2 (Fasc. 26): pl.

Phatnomatorhina platycephalus —Bibron In Bonaparte, 1839, Iconograph. Fauna Ital., 2 (Fasc. 26): sign 131.

Triton rusconiiBonaparte, 1840, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, Ser. 2, 2: 453. Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 24, attributed to Gené, 1839, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, Ser. 2, 1: 282.

Pelonectes platycephalusFitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 33.

Bulga rusconiiGistel, 1868, Die Lurche Europas: 159. Synonymy by Mertens, 1936, Senckenb. Biol., 18: 76.

Triton platycephalusStrauch, 1870, Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Petersbourg, Ser. 7, 16 (4): 50.

Triturus (Euproctus) platicephalusBoulenger, 1878, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 3: 307.

Triturus (Euproctus) rusconiiBoulenger, 1878, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 3: 308.

Molge rusconiiBoulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 24.

Triton rusconiiSchulze, 1891, Jahresber. Abhandl. Naturwiss. Ver. Magdeburg, 1890: 170. Schreiber, 1912, Herpetol. Eur., Ed. 2: 58.

Triton (Euproctus) rusconiiWolterstorff, 1901, Feuille Jeunes Nat., Ser. 4, 31: 73.

Diemictylus rusconiiFowler and Dunn, 1917, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 69: 28.

Euproctus platycephalusMertens and Müller, 1928, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 41: 10. Wolterstorff and Herre, 1935, Arch. Naturgesch., Leipzig, N. F., 4: 224.

English Names

Sardinian Newt (Cochran, 1961, Living Amph. World: 33; Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 210).

Sardinian Mountain Newt (Bruno, 1973, Natura, Milano, 64: 365; Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 32; Stumpel-Rienks, 1992, Ergänzungsband Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., Trivialnamen der Herpetofauna Eur.: 49; Rimpp, 1997, in Gasc et al. (eds.), Atlas Amph. Rept. Eur.: 58).

Sardinian Brook Salamander (Arnold and Burton, 1978, Field Guide Rept. Amph. Brit. Eur.: 39; Stumpel-Rienks, 1992, Ergänzungsband Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., Trivialnamen der Herpetofauna Eur.: 49; Speybroeck, Beukema, Bok, and Van Der Voort, 2016, Field Guide Amph. Rept. Brit. Eur.: 81).

Sardinian Mountain Salamander (Steward, 1969, Tailed Amph. Eur.: 39).

Sardinia Mountain Salamander (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 35).

Flat-headed Salamander (Hellmich, 1962, Rept. Amph. Eur.: 51).

Sardinian Brook Newt (Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 473).

Distribution

Isolated populations in the mountains of Sardinia, Italy, 50–1800 m elevation.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Italy

Endemic: Italy

Comment

See discussion of relevant literature and distribution by Rimpp, 1997, in Gasc et al. (eds.), Atlas Amph. Rept. Eur.: 58–59. Rimpp and Thiesmeier, 1999, in Grossenbacher and Thiesmeier (eds.), Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., 4(1): 285–300, provided a review of the biology. Obst in Engelmann, Fritzsche, Günther, and Obst, 1993, Lurche Kriechtiere Eur.: 72, and Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 148–149, provided a brief account, photo, and map. See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 601. See detailed account by Lecis, 2007, in Lanza et al. (eds.), Fauna d'Italia, 42 (Amph.): 192–195. Nöllert and Nöllert, 1992, Die Amph. Eur.: 165–166, provided a brief account. Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 210–212, reviewed the biology, characteristics, distribution, reproduction, and conservation of the species. Speybroeck, Beukema, Bok, and Van Der Voort, 2016, Field Guide Amph. Rept. Brit. Eur.: 81–82, provided a brief account and distribution map. See Dufresnes, 2019, Amph. Eur., N. Afr., & Middle East: 154, for brief summary of identifying morphology and biology, a range map, as well as a photograph. Corti, Biaggini, Nulchis, Cogoni, Cossu, Frau, Mulargia, Lunghi, and Bassu, 2022, Acta Herpetol., Firenze, 17: 125–133, reported on the range in Sardinia. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 473–476, provided an account, summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map).  

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