Ommatotriton vittatus (Gray, 1835)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Caudata > Family: Salamandridae > Subfamily: Pleurodelinae > Genus: Ommatotriton > Species: Ommatotriton vittatus

Triton vittatus Gray In Jenyns, 1835, Manual Brit. Vert. Animals: 305. Syntypes: BMNH 1947.9.7.8–10 (formerly 1.1.10.1A–B), according to Thireau, 1986, Cat. Types Urodeles Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., Rev. Crit.: 76. Type locality: "ponds near London"; unknown according to Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 14; discussed and determined to have come from Syria by Lataste, 1877, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 2: 359; suspected to be "probably Syria" according to Başoğlu and Özeti, 1973, Türkiye Amphibileri: 129.

Salamandra (Triton) vittatus Guérin-Méneville, 1838, Icon. Regne Animal, 3: 17, pl. 28, fig. 2. Type(s): Including animal figured in the original. Type locality: "Syrie". Clearly a nomenclatural act independent of Gray's earlier action—DRF.

Ommatotriton vittatus — Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 29.

Molge vittatus — Gray, 1850, Cat. Spec. Amph. Coll. Brit. Mus., Batr. Grad.: 29. Alternative generic name.

Molge syriacus Lataste, 1877, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 2: 359, 365. Type(s): 2 specimens, by original designation; including MNHNP 4714 according to Thireau, 1986, Cat. Types Urodeles Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., Rev. Crit.: 74. The other specimen may have been in Lataste's personal collection which was deposited ultimately in the BMNH—DRF. Type locality: "Syrie". Jar label name attributed to Vallenciennes, provided as a junior synonym of Triton vittatus by Lataste, 1877.

Molge vittata — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 13.

Triton vittatus forma excubitor Wolterstorff, 1905, C. R. Séances 6th Congr. Internatl. Zool., Berne, 1904: 261. Type(s): MM; destroyed in W.W.II according to Brame and Gorham, 1972, Checklist Living & Fossil Salamand. World (Unpubl. MS): 103. Type locality: "Nashr el Khebir und Trabulor, Antilibanon". Synonymy with Triturus vittatus vittatus by Steinitz, 1965, Israel J. Zool., 14: 235.

Triton vittatus forma typica — Wolterstorff, 1906, Zool. Anz., 29: 650.

Triton vittatus forma cilicensis Wolterstorff, 1906, Zool. Anz., 29: 649. Syntypes: MM (Destroyed in W.W. II, and BMNH 1946.9.6.11–13 (formerly BMNH 1905.27.4–7), according to Brame and Gorham, 1972, Checklist Living & Fossil Salamand. World (Unpubl. MS): 103–104; Borkin, Litvinchuk, and Zuiderwijk, 2003, in Grossenbacher and Thiesmeier (eds.), Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., 4(IIA): 576, regarded the remaining syntypes as BMNH 1912.8.27.6–9. Type locality:"Umbegung von Adana", Cilicia, Türkiye. Synonymy with Triturus vittatus vittatus by Bodenheimer, 1944, Istanbul Univ. Fen. Fak. Mec., Seri B, 9: 10; and Steinitz, 1965, Israel J. Zool., 14: 238.

Triton vittatus vittatus — Wolterstorff, 1906, Zool. Anz., 29: 650, by implication.

Molge vittatus cilicensis — Nikolskii, 1918, Fauna Rossii, Zemnovodnye: 223.

Triton vittatus subsp. ciliciensis — Wolterstorff, 1925, Abh. Ber. Mus. Nat. Heimatkd. Magdeburg, 4: 268.

Triton vittatus chuldaensis Bodenheimer, 1926 "1925", Arch. Naturgesch., Abt. A,, 91: 76. Syntypes: HUJ, according to Brame and Gorham, 1972, Checklist Living & Fossil Salamand. World (Unpubl. MS): 104. Type locality: "Gegend von Chuldah und vom Nar Rubin (sudlich von Jaffa)", Israel. Synonymy with Triturus vittatus ophryticus by Steinitz, 1965, Israel J. Zool., 14: 238.

Triton (Palaeotriton) vittatus ciliciensis — Bolkay, 1927, Glasn. Zemaljskog Muz. Bosni Hercegov., 39: 63. Bolkay, 1928, Z. Anat. Entwicklungesch., 86: 259. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Triton (Palaeotriton) vittatus — Bolkay, 1927, Glasn. Zemaljskog Muz. Bosni Hercegov., 39: 63.

Triton (Palaeotriton) vittatus — Bolkay, 1928, Z. Anat. Entwicklungesch., 86: 259.

Triturus vittatus — Herre, 1935, Zoologica, Stuttgart, 33: 63.

Triturus vittatus vittatus — Bodenheimer, 1944, Istanbul Univ. Fen. Fak. Mec., Seri B, 9: 8; Bodenheimer, 1944, Istanbul Univ. Fen. Fak. Mec., Seri B, 9: 234-240.

Triturus vittatus cilicensis — Bodenheimer, 1944, Istanbul Univ. Fen. Fak. Mec., Seri B, 9: 9.

Triturus vittatus excubitor — Bodenheimer, 1944, Istanbul Univ. Fen. Fak. Mec., Seri B, 9: 9.

Triturus (Palaeotriton) vittatus — Thorn, 1968, Salamand. Eur. Asie Afr. Nord: 191.

Triturus (Triturus) vittatus — MacGregor, Sessions, and Arntzen, 1990, J. Evol. Biol., 3: 329.

Lissotriton vulgaris — García-París, Montori, and Herrero, 2004, Fauna Iberica, 24: 50, by implication.

Ommatotriton vittatus — García-París, Monton, and Alonso-Zarazaga, 2004, in García-París et al. (eds.), Fauna Iberica, 24: 602, by implication; Litvinchuk, Zuiderwijk, Borkin, and Rosanov, 2005, Amphibia-Reptilia, 26: 317.

Ommatotriton vittatus cilicensis — Bülbül and Kutrup, 2013, Animal Biol., 63: 298. 

Ommatotriton vittatus vittatus — Bülbül and Kutrup, 2013, Animal Biol., 63: 298. 

Common Names

Striped Eft (Jenyns, 1835, Manual Brit. Vert. Animals: 305).

Banded Newt (Flower, 1933, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1933: 836; Steward, 1969, Tailed Amph. Eur.: 40; Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 34; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 36; Stumpel-Rienks, 1992, Ergänzungsband Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., Trivialnamen der Herpetofauna Eur.: 68).

Southern Banded Newt (Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 269; Üzüm, Avcı, Olgun, Bülbül, Fahrbach, Litvinchuk, and Wielstra, 2019, Salamandra, 55: 132). 

Distribution

Coastal southeastern Türkiye, through western Syria, and Lebanon to Israel and northwestern Jordan in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests up to sub-alpine meadows. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye

Comment

In the Triturus vulgaris group. See accounts by Steinitz, 1965, Israel J. Zool., 14: 234–240; Kuzmin, 1999, Amph. Former Soviet Union: 164–164. Arntzen and Olgun, 2000, Amphibia-Reptilia, 21: 155–168, discussed geographic variation in morphology and allozymes and noted large genetic distances among some of the populations. Başoğlu and Özeti, 1973, Türkiye Amphibileri: 50–56, provided an account for the Turkish populations. Thorn and Raffaëlli, 2000, Salamand. Ancien Monde: 287–292, provided an account. See also discussion of relevant literature and distribution by Borkin, 1997, in Gasc et al. (eds.), Atlas Amph. Rept. Eur.: 86–87. Özeti and Yilmaz, 1994, Türkiye Amfibileri: 80–87, provided an account for Turkish subspecies (including what is now Triturus ophryticus). Obst In Engelmann, Fritzsche, Günther, and Obst, 1993, Lurche Kriechtiere Eur.: 103–104, provided a brief account, figure, and map. Hraoui-Bloquet, Sadek, Sindaco, and Venchi, 2002, Zool. Middle East, 27: 36, provided definitive records for Lebanon. Borkin, Litvinchuk, and Zuiderwijk, 2003, in Grossenbacher and Thiesmeier (eds.), Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., 4(IIA): 555–605, provided an account and discussed subspecies. See Triturus ophryticus.. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 138–139, provided brief accounts by subspecies, photographs, and a map. Amr, Shehab, and Abu Baker, 2007, Herpetozoa, Wien, 20: 21–26, briefly discussed the range and provided a new record for Syria. Pearlson, Blaustein, Snir, Goldberg, and Degani, 2010, Curr. Herpetol., Kyoto, 29: 11–22, reported on landscape genetics in Israel. Bogaerts, Sparreboom, Pasmans, Almasri, Beukema, Shehab, and Amr, 2013, Salamandra, 49: 87–96, reported on the range and life history in Syria. Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 269–272, reviewed the biology, characteristics, distribution, reproduction, and conservation of the species. Altunişik, 2018, Acta Herpetol., Firenze, 13: 13–19. reported on body size and demographics. Üzüm, Avcı, Olgun, Bülbül, Fahrbach, Litvinchuk, and Wielstra, 2019, Salamandra, 55: 131–134, provided external morphological characters to distinguish this species from Ommatotriton nesterovi and Ommatotriton ophryticus. See Dufresnes, 2019, Amph. Eur., N. Afr., & Middle East: 145, for brief summary of identifying morphology and biology, a range map, as well as a photograph (see p. 202 for photographs and map of subspecies). Yaşar, Çiçek, Mulder, and Tok, 2021, North-West. J. Zool., Romania, 17(e201512): 232–275, discussed and grid-mapped the range in Türkiye. van Riemsdijk, Arntzen, Babik, Bogaerts, Franzen, Kalaentzis, Litvinchuk, Olgun, Wijnands, and Wielstra, 2022, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 167 (107361): 1–9, reported on the phylogenetics and molecular phylogeography. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 391–392, provided subspecies accounts, summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map). See Aidek, Jablonski, Dufresnes, Salimeh, and Omran, 2025, in Heatwole, Das, and King (eds.), Amphibian Biology. Volume 11, Part 8 (Status of Conservation and Decline of Amphibians: Eastern Hemisphere): 19–21, for photographs, distribution, and dot map for Syria.

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