Notes on Breeding of Mertensiella caucasica (Waga, 1876) (Urodela: Salamandridae) from Black Sea Coast of Turkey

Ufuk Bülbül, Halime Koç

Abstract


The eggs and embryos of the Caucasian salamander were investigated in a breeding population (Kayabaşı, Trabzon). We found 24 eggs at the beginning of June 2018. About three weeks later, the shaped embryos were observed in the eggs. Finally, we performed the last visit to the study site one month later from the second visit. The hatching process was almost finished except for 1 egg that had an embryo inside and 2 – 3 eggs, no living embryos inside. We observed that the egg development period lasted about 50 days in the Kayabaşı population. The hatching period of the Caucasian salamander may differ according to different ecological conditions.

Keywords


egg; Caucasian salamander; hatching; Kayabaşı

Full Text:

PDF

References


Darevsky I. S. and Polozhikhina V. F. (1966), «On the reproductive biology of the Caucasian salamander — Mertensiella caucasica (Waga)», Zool. Zh., 45(3), 465 – 466 [in Russian].

Kaya U., Tuniyev B., Ananjeva N., Orlov N., Papenfuss T., Kuzmin S., Tarkhnishvili D., Tuniyev S., Sparreboom M., Ugurtas I., and Anderson S. (2009), «Mertensiella caucasica», The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009, e.T13198A3418986.

Muskhelishvili T. A. (1964), «New findings about reproduction of the Caucasus salamander (Mertensiella caucasica)», Soobsch. Akad. Nauk Gruz. SSR, 36(1), 183 – 185 [in Russian].

Sayım F., Başkale E., Tarkhnishvili, D., and Kaya U. (2009), «Some water chemistry parameters of breeding habitats of the Caucasian salamander, Mertensiella caucasica in the Western Lesser Caucasus», C. R. Biologies, 332(2009), 464 – 469.

Tarkhnishvili D. N. and Serbinova I. A. (1993), «The ecology of the Caucasian Salamander (Mertensiella caucasica Waga) in a local population», Asiatic Herpetol. Res., 5, 147 – 165.

Tarkhnishvili D. N. (1994), «Interdependences between populational, developmental and morphological features of the Caucasian Salamander, Mertensiella caucasica», Mertensiella, 4, 315 – 325.

Tarkhnishvili D. N. (1996), «The distribution and ecology of the amphibians of Georgia and the Caucasus: a biogeographical analysis», Z. Feldherpetol., 3, 167 – 196.

Tarkhnishvili D. N. and Serbinova I. A. (1997), «Normal development of the Caucasian Salamander (Mertensiella caucasica)», Adv. Amphibian Res. Former Soviet Union, 2, 13 – 30.

Tarkhnishvili D. N., Kaya U., Gavashelishvili A., and Serbinova I. (2008), «Ecological divergence between two evolutionary lineages of the Caucasian Salamander: Evidence from the GIS analysis», Herpetol. J., 18, 155 – 163.

Tarkhnishvili D. N. and Kaya U. (2009), «Status and conservation of the Caucasian Salamander (Mertensiella caucasica)», in: N. Zazanashvili and D. Mallon (eds.), Status and Protection of Globally Threatened Species in the Caucasus. CEPF, WWF, Contour Ltd., Tbilisi, pp. 157 – 164.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2022-29-6-364-366

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru