High percentages of body malformations are considered auxiliary indicators of global amphibian decline. However, information on their frequency in natural populations are rarely provided and sample sizes are often small, particularly for newts and salamanders. In this study we report on the malformations of a population of the Spectacled Salamander (Salamandrina perspicillata). We sampled 508 salamanders and assigned body malformations to four main categories. We found one salamander with a bifid tail, an extremely rare abnormality among urodeles, and three types of limb malformations in slightly more than 8% of the salamanders. Females were significantly more malformed than males (P < 0.05) and the three limb abnormalities differed significantly in their prevalence, both when pooling all salamanders and when considering sexes separately (P < 0.001 in all comparisons). The percentage of malformed individuals largely exceeded what is expected in healthy populations. However, the study site was characterized by low anthropogenic pressure. We suggest some potential causes of the observed malformations including massive trematode parasites infections and the trampling of ungulates that may cause severe injuries on these small salamanders.
Body malformations in a forest-dwelling salamander, Salamandrina perspicillata (Savi, 1821)
Romano A.
Primo
;
2017
Abstract
High percentages of body malformations are considered auxiliary indicators of global amphibian decline. However, information on their frequency in natural populations are rarely provided and sample sizes are often small, particularly for newts and salamanders. In this study we report on the malformations of a population of the Spectacled Salamander (Salamandrina perspicillata). We sampled 508 salamanders and assigned body malformations to four main categories. We found one salamander with a bifid tail, an extremely rare abnormality among urodeles, and three types of limb malformations in slightly more than 8% of the salamanders. Females were significantly more malformed than males (P < 0.05) and the three limb abnormalities differed significantly in their prevalence, both when pooling all salamanders and when considering sexes separately (P < 0.001 in all comparisons). The percentage of malformed individuals largely exceeded what is expected in healthy populations. However, the study site was characterized by low anthropogenic pressure. We suggest some potential causes of the observed malformations including massive trematode parasites infections and the trampling of ungulates that may cause severe injuries on these small salamanders.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
