Proteus freyeri (Fitzinger, 1850)

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

Common Names

Freyer’s Olm (Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, 47: 283). 

Freyerjev Močeril (Slovenian: Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, 47: 283).

Distribution

Throughout southeastern Slovenia, extending from the Radensko-Dobrepolje region and the upper Krka valley through Suha krajina, the Ribnica-Kočevje region and the surroundings of Dolenjske Toplice and Novo mesto to Bela krajina, with an isolated historical record, which requires confirmaton, from Ozaljska pećina in Croatia. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Slovenia

Likely/Controversially Present: Croatia

Endemic: Slovenia

Comment

The Dolenjska lineage, the sister of Proteus anguinus of , who (p. 283) removed this taxon from the synonymy of Proteus anguinus where it had been placed by Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 65, and Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 85. Validity had been doubted by implication of Schreiber, 1875, Herpetol. Eur.: 13–14. Dufresnes et al. (2026) also discussed comparative morphology, morphometrics, molecular markers (mt- and nuDNA), a dot map of the distribution, habitat, and conservation status.

External links:

Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.