Search tool	Example of search string in box	What that means to the database
* = "wildcard". Allows a partial letter string to be entered and implies either no or various extension on this letter string	Hyl*	Will find all uses of "Hyl . . ." anywhere in a record: e.g., Hylarana, Hyla, Hylidae, Hylinae, Hylaedactyla.
* = "wildcard". Allows a partial letter string to be entered and implies either no or various extension on this letter string	*Hyla	Will find all uses of ". . . hyla" anywhere in a record: e.g., Hyla, Hylidae, Plectrohyla, Ptychadena hylaea, Adenomera hylaedactyla
	Hyla	Will find all records that contain stand-alone uses of Hyla: e.g., Hyla, Hyla arenicolor
Strings of words without quotation marks	Lithobates pipiens	Interprets this as "Lithobates OR pipiens" so will find the union of all records that contain either "Lithobates" or "pipiens": e.g., Lithobates omiltemanus, Hylorana pipiens
Strings of word with quotation marks	"Lithobates pipiens"	Interprets this as "Lithobates AND pipiens" so will return all records that have the character string "Lithobates pipiens" anywhere within a record: e.g., all members of the Lithobates pipiens complex.
AND statement. Means that the results of the search must include both words held together by an AND	Lithobates AND pipiens	Same as "Lithobates pipiens"
OR statement. Means that the results of the search will all records that have either of the terms held together by an OR	Lithobates OR "Costa Rica"	Recovers all records that contain the word "Lithobates" or "Costa Rica": 402 records inasmuch as this will include all records for the entire amphibian fauna of Costa Rica
Combining Boolean operators within the Basic Search box (AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks)	Lithobates AND "Costa Rica" NOT forreri	Recovers only records that contain the word Lithobates AND "Costa Rica", but excludes any record that contains the word "forreri" in any part of the record: 9 records
Printable HELP file

Search tool	Example of search string in box	What that means to the database
* = "wildcard". Allows a partial letter string to be entered and implies either no or various extension on this letter string	Hyl*	Will find all uses of "Hyl . . ." anywhere in a record: e.g., Hylarana, Hyla, Hylidae, Hylinae, Hylaedactyla.
* = "wildcard". Allows a partial letter string to be entered and implies either no or various extension on this letter string	*Hyla	Will find all uses of ". . . hyla" anywhere in a record: e.g., Hyla, Hylidae, Plectrohyla, Ptychadena hylaea, Adenomera hylaedactyla
Single word	Hyla	Will find all records that contain stand-alone uses of Hyla: e.g., Hyla, Hyla arenicolor
Strings of words without quotation marks	Lithobates pipiens	Interprets this as "Lithobates OR pipiens" so will find the union of all records that contain either "Lithobates" or "pipiens": e.g., Lithobates omiltemanus, Hylorana pipiens
Strings of word with quotation marks	"Lithobates pipiens"	Interprets this as "Lithobates AND pipiens" so will return all records that have the character string "Lithobates pipiens" anywhere within a record: e.g., all members of the Lithobates pipiens complex.
AND statement. Means that the results of the search must include both words held together by an AND	Lithobates AND pipiens	Same as "Lithobates pipiens"
OR statement. Means that the results of the search will all records that have either of the terms held together by an OR	Lithobates OR "Costa Rica"	Recovers all records that contain the word "Lithobates" or "Costa Rica": 402 records inasmuch as this will include all records for the entire amphibian fauna of Costa Rica
Combining Boolean operators within the Basic Search box (AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks)	Lithobates AND "Costa Rica" NOT forreri	Recovers only records that contain the word Lithobates AND "Costa Rica", but excludes any record that contains the word "forreri" in any part of the record: 9 records
Printable HELP file

Proteus ikae Jelič, Dufresnes and Jablonski, 2026

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

Proteus ikae Jelič, Dufresnes and Jablonski in Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 38. Holotype: NHMW 19975/1, by original designation. Type locality: "the coal mine of Carpano near Labin, Istria, Croatia". ZooBank Publication registration: 9EE06D32-44D5-48DB-A34E-A9BB7849433D (13 August 2026)

Proteus sketi Trontelj, Gorički, Konstanjšek, Zakšek, Delić, Bressi, Mauri, Lukić Bilela, Jalžić, and Recknagel, 2026, Nat. Sloveniae, 28: 19. Holotype: HPM 4886, by original designation. Type locality: "Cave Pincinova Jama, about 6 km NNE of Poreč, Istra, Croatia; Lat., Lon. = 45.2874, 13.6352". ZooBank Publication registration: D60B4EF9-D0CF-46C3-B015-467D6975F0E1 (24 August 2026).

Common Names

Istrian Olm (Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 38).

Istarska čovječja ribica (Croatian: Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 38; Trontelj, Gorički, Konstanjšek, Zakšek, Delić, Bressi, Mauri, Lukić Bilela, Jalžić, and Recknagel, 2026, Nat. Sloveniae, 28: 19).

Distribution

Associated with deep karst aquifer systems of the Istrian Peninsula and is only occasionally flushed to the surface through large karst springs. The species has been recorded from springs and wells at or near sea level, including the historic Nimfej spring and the main water source beneath the Pula Arena, situated between the Roman amphitheatre and the Adriatic coast. Most additional records originate from deep vertical caves and pits that provide access to the deeper karstic groundwater network.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Croatia

Endemic: Croatia

Comment

The Istra clade of Trontelj, Douady, Fišer, Gilbert, Gorički, Lefébure, Sket, and Zakšek, 2009, Freshwater Biol., 54: 737; the Istra lineage of Kostanjšek, Zakšek, Bizjak-Mali, and Trontelj, 2023, In Mallard et al. (eds.), Groundwater Ecology and Evolution. 2nd ed: 310, Recknagel, Zakšek, Delić, Gorički, and Trontelj, 2024, Mol. Ecol., 33(e16868): 1–11, and of the revisionary works of Dufresnes, Monod-Broca, Jelić, Šunje, Manenti, Barzaghi, Zimić, Chouchane, Denoël, Ohler, and Jablonski, 2026, Amphibia-Reptilia, Published online ahead of print: 1–51, and Trontelj, Gorički, Konstanjšek, Zakšek, Delić, Bressi, Mauri, Lukić Bilela, Jalžić, and Recknagel, 2026, Nat. Sloveniae, 28: 11–27, where comparative morphology, morphometrics, molecular markers (mt- and nuDNA), a dot map of the distribution, habitat, and conservation status were provided.

External links:

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