AMRE-1051_Supplementary material.pdf (340.02 kB)
Download fileMorphometric characteristics of Alpine salamanders: a support for subspecies validation and conservation?: Supplementary material
journal contribution
posted on 2018-09-06, 11:22 authored by Emina Šunje, Raoul Van Damme, Dušan Jelić, Maria Mueller, Rifat Škrijelj, Véronique HelferThe subspecies concept is not only useful to
assess the evolutionary history of species and therefore describe their
evolutionary potential, but it also has corollaries for defining conservation
units and their management. Within
Alpine salamanders, the subspecies
status of Salamandra atra prenjensis, isolated in the Dinarides
from its nominal subspecies Salamandra
atra atra that occurs in the Alps, has been under debate. To
remediate this fuzzy taxonomy, the present study investigates 14 morphological
traits of Alpine salamanders originating from Austria and from Bosnia and
Herzegovina (B&H). Multivariate analyses support a geographical structuring
of morphological variation and the differentiation between the Dinaric (B&H)
and Alpine (Austrian) populations. Within populations, a different correlation
pattern among traits is registered, reflecting the distinct genetic
architecture of multivariate phenotypes. This morphometric study supports
recent molecular evidences of a strong differentiation between the Dinaric and
Alpine populations and pleads in favour of the separate subspecies status,
although a wider sampling of other populations and the inclusion of additional
characters would be necessary to reinforce this conclusion. The recognition of Salamandra atra prenjensis as a distinct
subspecies would highly contribute to the better conservation of this
emblematic salamander.