Proteus anguinus Laurenti, 1768

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Proteidae > Genus: Proteus > Species: Proteus anguinus

Proteus anguinus Laurenti, 1768, Spec. Med. Exhib. Synops. Rept.: 37. Type(s): By indication including animal figured in Laurenti, 1768, Spec. Med. Exhib. Synops. Rept.: 37, Pl. 4, fig. 3. Type locality: "in lacu Tschirnicensi, Carnioliae"; rendered as "Zirknitz [lake], Krain" [= Lake Cerknica], Slovenia, by Mertens and Müller, 1928, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 41: 9; restricted by Fejérváry, 1926, Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Natl. Hungarici, 24: 231, to "Magdalenen-Grotte [Magdalena Cave]”, near Adelsberg Cave, Slovenia. This restriction considered invalid by Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 22, in the absence of a neotype designation. Corrected to “non in lacu Zirchizenfi, sed prope Sittich e crypta subterranea, aeslivo tempore una cum aquis exit quandoque [not in Lake Cerknica, but in an underground cave near Stična, in summer it sometimes comes out with the waters]” by Scopoli, 1772, Ann. V. Hist.-Nat.: 73. See extensive discussion by Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 20–22. 

Siren anguina — Shaw, 1802, Gen. Zool., 3(1): 608.

Protaeus anguinus — Oppel, 1811, Ordn. Fam. Gatt. Rept.: 80.

Hypochthon Laurentii Merrem, 1820, Tent. Syst. Amph.: 188. Sustitute name for Proteus anguinus. Brame and Gorham, 1972, Checklist Living & Fossil Salamand. World (Unpubl. MS): 40, regarded this as a new name with a holotype of BMNH 1847.10.19.1 (formerly from NHMW) and a type locality of Kärnthen, Austria. Note that subsequent uses by Freyer, 1846, Arch. Naturgesch., 12: 290, and Fitzinger, 1850, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 5: 301, have been treated as synonyms by some authors although Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 24, discussed the issue and showed that these names represented subsequent uses. 

Caledon anguinus — Goldfuss, 1820, Handb. Zool., 2: 127, by implication.

Phanerobranchus platyrhynchus Leuckart, 1821, Isis von Oken, 9: 260. Substitute name for Proteus anguinus Laurenti, 1768.

Apneumona anguina — Fleming, 1822, Philos. Zool., 2: 303.

Hypochthon anguinus — Wagler, 1830, Nat. Syst. Amph.: 210; Bonaparte, 1840, Mem. Accad. Sci. Torino, Ser. 2, 2: 456.

Hemitriton (Hypochthon) laurentii — Van der Hoeven, 1833, Handb. Dierkd., 2: 305, by implication.

Hemitriton (Proteus) anguineus — Van der Hoeven, 1833, Handb. Dierkd., 2: 305, by implication.

Hypochthon anguinus — Tschudi, 1838, Classif. Batr.: 97.

Hypochthon zoisii Fitzinger, 1850, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 5: 298. Type(s): Not stated other than clearly NHMW; including BMNH 1946.9.6.74, originally from NHMW, and NHMW 19959.2–5, according to Häupl, Tiedemann, and Grillitsch, 1994, Kat. Wiss. Samml. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, 9: 14, and Gemel, Gassner, and Schweiger, 2019, Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, Ser. B, 121: 40. Type locality: "Rupa" near Schweinsdorf, Krain, Slovenia. Synonymy by Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 65; Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 85. Validity doubted by implication of Schreiber, 1875, Herpetol. Eur.: 13–14.

Hypochthon Schreibersii Fitzinger, 1850, Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 5: 299. Syntypes: Not stated other than clearly NHMW; including BMNH 1946.9.6.72–73 (originally 1846.6.15.86–87, on exchange from NHMW) and NHMW 19962, 19966 (9 specimens), according to Häupl, Tiedemann, and Grillitsch, 1994, Kat. Wiss. Samml. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, 9: 14. Type locality: "Vir", Slovenia. Synonymy by Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 65; Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 85. Validity doubted by implication of Schreiber, 1875, Herpetol. Eur.: 13–14.

Proteus zoisii — Cope, 1866, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 6: 103; McCrady, 1954, Copeia, 1954: 200–206. (In context considered "probably a subspecies of anguinus")..

Proteus schreibersii — Cope, 1866, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 6: 104.

Proteus anguinus — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 85.

Proteus anguinus var. zoisii — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 86.

Proteus anguinus anguinus — Mertens and Müller, 1940, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 451: 14.

Proteus anguinus zoisii — Mertens and Müller, 1940, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 451: 14.

Common Names

Stična’s Olm (Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 27). 

Stična močeril (Slovenian: Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 27). 

Olm (Hellmich, 1962, Rept. Amph. Eur.: 54; Steward, 1969, Tailed Amph. Eur.: 40; Bruno, 1973, Natura, Milano, 64: 235; Arnold and Burton, 1978, Field Guide Rept. Amph. Brit. Eur.: 54; Stumpel-Rienks, 1992, Ergänzungsband Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., Trivialnamen der Herpetofauna Eur.: 54; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 34; Arnold, 2002, Rept. Amph. Eur., Ed. 2: 53; Sillero, Campos, Bonardi, Corti, Creemers, Crochet, Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Denoël, Ficetola, Gonçalves, Kuzmin, Lymberakis, de Pous, Rodriguez, Sindaco, Speybroeck, Toxopeus, Vieites, and Vences, 2014, Amphibia-Reptilia, 35: Suppl. 1, Text S1; Speybroeck, Beukema, Dufresnes, Fritz, Jablonski, Lymberakis, Martínez-Solano, Razzetti, Vamberger, Vences, Vörös, and Crochet, 2020, Amphibia-Reptilia, 41: 170).

Cave Salamander (Hellmich, 1962, Rept. Amph. Eur.: 54).

Common Proteus (Gray, 1831, in Cuvier, Animal Kingdom (Griffith), 9—Appendix: 108).

White Olm (Proteus anguinus anguinus: Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 487). 

Distribution

Restricted to the low Dolenjska karst of central Slovenia, where it is known from a narrow west-east belt extending from the Višnjica valley through the surroundings of Stična and Vir pri Stični to Šentpavel and Mačji Dol.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Slovenia

Endemic: Slovenia

Comment

Caution is advised in the use of all literature published prior to late late August 2026, as almost all will refer to a concept of Proteus anguinus which was then monotypic, now divided into several species (DRF). 

See Mertens and Wermuth, 1960, Amph. Rept. Europas: 35–36, and Thorn, 1968, Salamand. Eur. Asie Afr. Nord: 115–121. Nöllert and Nöllert, 1992, Die Amph. Eur.: 151–153, provided a brief account and polygon map. Grillitsch and Tiedemann, 1994, Herpetozoa, Wien, 7: 139–148, rejected subspecies and discussed Fitzinger's various types. Sket and Arntzen, 1994, Bijdr. Dierkd., 64: 33–53, presented an allozyme tree for populations of Proteus anguinus. Sket, 1997, J. Biogeograph., 24: 263–280, provided a biogeographic scenario that implies that the different populations may represent several species. Thorn and Raffaëlli, 2000, Salamand. Ancien Monde: 153–160, provided accounts. Parzefall, Durand, and Sket, 1999, in Grossenbacher and Thiesmeier (eds.), Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., 4(1): 57–76, provided an in-depth review of biology. Durand, 1997, in Gasc et al. (eds.), Atlas Amph. Rept. Eur.: 50–51, provided an account and detailed map. Arnold, 2002, Rept. Amph. Eur., Ed. 2: 53, provided a brief account, figure, and map, as did Obst in Engelmann, Fritzsche, Günther, and Obst, 1993, Lurche Kriechtiere Eur.: 63–65. Lever, 2003, Naturalized Rept. Amph. World: 228, regarded the Italian population as introduced.Gorički and Trontelj, 2006, Gene, 378: 31–41, recovered several mtDNA lineages within the overall range that are incongruent with the currently named subspecies. See detailed account by Lanza, Bruschi, and Bressi, 2007, in Lanza et al. (eds.), Fauna d'Italia, 42 (Amph.): 176–183, for the Italian population. Speybroeck and Crochet, 2007, Podarcis, 8: 10, noted incongruence between the morphology and genetic substructuring among populations. See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 598. Trontelj, Douady, Fišer, Gilbert, Gorički, Lefébure, Sket, and Zakšek, 2009, Freshwater Biol., 54: 727–744, examined the mtDNA phylogeographic structure finding 6 well-supported haplotype clades with no overlap in ranges and genetic distances generally associated with species. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 221–223, provided brief accounts by subspecies, photographs, and a map, and suggested that multiple species may be involved. Sillero, Campos, Bonardi, Corti, Creemers, Crochet, Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Denoël, Ficetola, Gonçalves, Kuzmin, Lymberakis, de Pous, Rodriguez, Sindaco, Speybroeck, Toxopeus, Vieites, and Vences, 2014, Amphibia-Reptilia, 35: Suppl. Atlas 1, provided a grid map of the distribution. Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 166–169, reviewed the biology, characteristics, distribution, reproduction, and conservation of the species. Speybroeck, Beukema, Bok, and Van Der Voort, 2016, Field Guide Amph. Rept. Brit. Eur.: 112–113, provided a brief account and distribution map. Gorički, Stanković, Snoj, Kuntner, Jeffery, Trontelj, Pavićević, Grizelj, Năpăruş-Aljančič, and Aljančič, 2017, Sci. Rep. (Nature, London), 7 (45054): 1–11, also addressed mtDNA phylogeography. See Dufresnes, 2019, Amph. Eur., N. Afr., & Middle East: 188, for brief summary of identifying morphology and biology, a range map, as well as a photograph. Vörös, Ursenbacher, and Jelić, 2019, J. Heredity, 110: 211–218, demonstrated genetic subdivision with the nominal species. Speybroeck, Beukema, Dufresnes, Fritz, Jablonski, Lymberakis, Martínez-Solano, Razzetti, Vamberger, Vences, Vörös, and Crochet, 2020, Amphibia-Reptilia, 41: 145, discussed the taxonomic literature and possibility of cryptic species. Gvozdenović and Iković, 2022, Nat. Montenegrina, Podgorica, 14: 93–105, noted that the presence of this species in Montenegro has not been verified. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 487–491, provided subspecies accounts, summarizing systematics (in disarray), life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map).  

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