FrogEyes
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For some time, three species-level groups have been known by the name Triturus karelinii. The western was named T.arntzeni, the central T.karelinii, and the eastern unnamed [trusting my memory here]. The present paper treats the type specimens of T.arntzeni as T.macedonicus, although other populations remain undescribed members of the T.karelinii group. The type locality of T.karelinii is actually in the eastern region, resulting in that population retaining the name. As the central and western groups are related, they are treated as a single species under the new name T.ivanbureschi. The present authors have previously ignored the name T.arntzeni in their studies, and this is now explained by their referal of type specimens to T.macedonicus.
The paper is open-access:
http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/zt03682p453.pdf
B. WIELSTRA, S.N. LITVINCHUK, B. NAUMOV, N. TZANKOV, & J.W. ARNTZEN, 2013. A revised taxonomy of crested newts in the Triturus karelinii group (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 3682 (3): 441–453.
Abstract
We present a taxonomic revision of the crested newt Triturus karelinii sensu lato. Based on the presence of discrete nuclear DNA gene pools, deep genetic divergence of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and no indication of gene flow, we interpret this taxon as comprising two species: one covering the southern Caspian Sea shore, the Caucasus and the Crimea, i.e. the eastern part of the total range and another covering northern Asiatic Turkey and western Asiatic Turkey plus the southeastern Balkan Peninsula, i.e. the central and western part of the total range. We acknowledge that the central/western species should likely be further subdivided into a central and a western taxon, but we prefer to await a more detailed genetic analysis of the putative contact zone, positioned in northwestern Asiatic Turkey. The name T. karelinii (Strauch, 1870) applies to the eastern species as the type locality is positioned along the coast of the Gulf of Gorgan, Iran. The name T.arntzeni has been applied to the central/western species with Vrtovaæ, Serbia as the type locality. We show that not T. karelinii sensu lato but T. macedonicus occurs at Vrtovaæ. Hence, the name T. arntzeni Litvinchuk, Borkin, Džukiæ and Kaleziæ, 1999 (in Litvinchuk et al., 1999) is a junior synonym of T. macedonicus (Karaman, 1922) and should not be used for the central/western species. We propose the name T. ivanbureschi sp. nov. for the central/western species and provide a formal species description.
The paper is open-access:
http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/zt03682p453.pdf
B. WIELSTRA, S.N. LITVINCHUK, B. NAUMOV, N. TZANKOV, & J.W. ARNTZEN, 2013. A revised taxonomy of crested newts in the Triturus karelinii group (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae), with the description of a new species. Zootaxa 3682 (3): 441–453.
Abstract
We present a taxonomic revision of the crested newt Triturus karelinii sensu lato. Based on the presence of discrete nuclear DNA gene pools, deep genetic divergence of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and no indication of gene flow, we interpret this taxon as comprising two species: one covering the southern Caspian Sea shore, the Caucasus and the Crimea, i.e. the eastern part of the total range and another covering northern Asiatic Turkey and western Asiatic Turkey plus the southeastern Balkan Peninsula, i.e. the central and western part of the total range. We acknowledge that the central/western species should likely be further subdivided into a central and a western taxon, but we prefer to await a more detailed genetic analysis of the putative contact zone, positioned in northwestern Asiatic Turkey. The name T. karelinii (Strauch, 1870) applies to the eastern species as the type locality is positioned along the coast of the Gulf of Gorgan, Iran. The name T.arntzeni has been applied to the central/western species with Vrtovaæ, Serbia as the type locality. We show that not T. karelinii sensu lato but T. macedonicus occurs at Vrtovaæ. Hence, the name T. arntzeni Litvinchuk, Borkin, Džukiæ and Kaleziæ, 1999 (in Litvinchuk et al., 1999) is a junior synonym of T. macedonicus (Karaman, 1922) and should not be used for the central/western species. We propose the name T. ivanbureschi sp. nov. for the central/western species and provide a formal species description.