Ommatotriton vittatus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	CAUDATA	SALAMANDRIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ommatotriton vittatus

Species Authority:

(Gray in Jenyns, 1835)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Southern Banded Newt

Synonym/s:

Triturus vittatus (Gray, 1835)

Taxonomic Notes:

We follow Litvinchuk et al. (2005) in separating Ommatotriton ophryticus from this species.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

Kurtuluş Olgun, Jan Willem Arntzen, Theodore Papenfuss, Gad Degani, Ismail Ugurtas, Ahmad Disi, Max Sparreboom, Steven Anderson, Riyad Sadek, Souad Hraoui-Bloquet, Avital Gasith, Eldad Elron, Sarig Gafny, Yehudah Werner, Aziz Avci, Nazan Üzüm

Reviewer/s:

Neil Cox and Helen Temple

Justification:
This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its relative wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. This species might be close to qualifying for Near Threatened if it is shown to be in rapid decline, or if its Area of Occupancy is shown to be very small.

History:

2008

–

Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is found in southeastern Turkey, western Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon, northwestern Jordan, Israel (the southern limit being the southern Coastal Plain [Ashkelon]) and parts of the Palestine Territories. It has been recorded from 200m below sea level (Tabbaria Lake) to around 2,750m asl (in Turkey). Records from northern Iraq require confirmation.
Countries:	Native: Israel; Jordan; Lebanon; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Syrian Arab Republic; Turkey Presence uncertain: Iraq
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The species is sporadically distributed over much of its range (although common in suitable habitats). It is generally more rare in the south because of restricted habitat availability.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is found in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests (composed of birch, oaks, eastern hornbeams, alders, chestnuts, beach and rhododendrons) up to sub alpine meadows. Reproduction occurs in lakes, ponds (including temporary pools), large puddles, drainage canals, roadside ditches in meadows, slow-flowing streams and stream pools in open areas near or within forests. The number of eggs varies between 50 and 100. It can occur in some slightly modified habitats, but is rather sensitive to habitat change in the southernmost parts of its range.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

It is found in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests (composed of birch, oaks, eastern hornbeams, alders, chestnuts, beach and rhododendrons) up to sub alpine meadows. Reproduction occurs in lakes, ponds (including temporary pools), large puddles, drainage canals, roadside ditches in meadows, slow-flowing streams and stream pools in open areas near or within forests. The number of eggs varies between 50 and 100. It can occur in some slightly modified habitats, but is rather sensitive to habitat change in the southernmost parts of its range.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Throughout its range this species is very sensitive to habitat loss through forest destruction, destruction of wetlands, overgrazing by cattle, urbanization, industrial and agrochemical pollution. In Israel it is threatened by collection for the pet trade. The southern population is more threatened by the loss of suitable breeding habitats. In Israel it is additionally threatened by spraying of pesticides to combat mosquitoes.

Major Threat(s):

Throughout its range this species is very sensitive to habitat loss through forest destruction, destruction of wetlands, overgrazing by cattle, urbanization, industrial and agrochemical pollution. In Israel it is threatened by collection for the pet trade. The southern population is more threatened by the loss of suitable breeding habitats. In Israel it is additionally threatened by spraying of pesticides to combat mosquitoes.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It is listed in the Red Data Book of Israel, and is protected by national legislation in Israel. It is present in some protected areas in Turkey, and might be present (marginally) in a protected areas in Israel.

Conservation Actions:

It is listed in the Red Data Book of Israel, and is protected by national legislation in Israel. It is present in some protected areas in Turkey, and might be present (marginally) in a protected areas in Israel.

Citation:	Kurtuluş Olgun, Jan Willem Arntzen, Theodore Papenfuss, Gad Degani, Ismail Ugurtas, Ahmad Disi, Max Sparreboom, Steven Anderson, Riyad Sadek, Souad Hraoui-Bloquet, Avital Gasith, Eldad Elron, Sarig Gafny, Yehudah Werner, Aziz Avci, Nazan Üzüm 2009. Ommatotriton vittatus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 May 2012.
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