Bosca's newt

{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Boscá's newt

| image = Lissotriton boscai.jpg

| image_caption = Ventral surface

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Salvador, A. |author2=Martel, A. |author3=Recuero Gil, E. |author4=Pasmans, F. |author5=Martinez Solano, I. |author6=Bosch, J. |author7=Arntzen, J. |author8=García París, M. |author9=Lizana, M. |author10=Tejedo, M. |author11=Sá-Sousa, P. |author12=Beja, P. |author13=Marquez, R. |author14=Jehle, R. |author15=Díaz-Paniagua, C. |author16=Asociación Herpetológica Española. |year=2024 |title=Lissotriton boscai |volume=2024 |page=e.T79079411A228184459 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T79079411A228184459.en |access-date=15 February 2025}}

| genus = Lissotriton

| species = boscai

| authority = (Lataste, 1879)

| range_map = Lissotriton boscai range Map.png

| synonyms =

  • Triturus boscai Lataste, 1879
  • Lophinus boscai Litvinchuk et al., 2005
  • Pelonectes boscai Lataste in Tourneville, 1879{{cite GBIF|taxon=Pelonectes boscai|id=166379097}}

}}

Boscá's newt (Lissotriton boscai, formerly Triturus boscai), also known as the Iberian newt, is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. The species is found in Portugal and western Spain.

Etymology

The specific name boscai is in honor of Spanish herpetologist Eduardo Boscá.Beolens, B., Watkins, M., and Grayson, M. 2013. The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. 262 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-907807-41-1}}.

Description

The female is up to {{convert|94|mm}} long and the male up to {{convert|75|mm}}. There are glandular ridges along the back and the skin is granular in texture when the newt is living out of water. The body is brownish, yellowish, or dull green with dark spotting. The belly is orange. Unlike some of its congeners, this species is not especially showy during the breeding season. The male develops a brightly colored protuberance at the tip of the tail.{{cite web|url=http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Lissotriton&where-species=boscai |title=Lissotriton boscai|website= AmphibiaWeb}}

Distribution and habitat

This newt is mostly aquatic, living in shallow ponds and streams lined with vegetation. It can be found in disturbed and artificial water bodies, such as ditches. It is known from oak woodland habitat, scrub, sandy coastal strips, and farms and plantations.

Conservation

Populations are stable and the species is not considered to be threatened, but in some areas it experiences losses due to the destruction and degradation of its aquatic habitat.

References

{{Wikispecies|Lissotriton boscai}}

{{Commons category|Lissotriton boscai}}

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Arnold EN, Burton JA. 1978. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London: Collins. 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. {{ISBN|0 00 219318 3}}. (Triturus boscai, pp. 51–52 + Plate 4 + Map 16).
  • {{cite journal|author=Tourneville A|author-link=Albert Tourneville|year= 1879|title=Description d'une nouvelle espèce de batracien urodèle d'Espagne (Pelonectes boscai) Lataste |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/97010|journal=Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France|volume=4|pages= 69–87|lang=fr}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q771492}}

Category:Lissotriton

Category:Endemic amphibians of the Iberian Peninsula

Category:Amphibians described in 1879

Category:Amphibians of Europe

Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

{{Salamandridae-stub}}