Salamandra algira Bedriaga, 1883

Common Names

North African Fire Salamander (Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 606).

Atlas Fire Salamander (Salamandra algira atlantica: Hernandez and Escoriza, 2019, ZooKeys, 893 : 146). 

Algerian Salamander (Salamandra algira algira: Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 212).

Beni Snassen Salamander (Salamandra algira spelaea: Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 214).

Tangier Salamander (Salamandra algira "tingitana": Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 215).

Rif Salamander (Salamandra algira splendens: Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 217).

Atlas Salamander (Salamandra algira atlantica: Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 219).

Distribution

Atlas Mountains of northern Morocco, vicinity of Ceuta, Spain, and northern Algeria. All in isolated populations in in humid places in the northern mountains. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Algeria, Morocco, Spain

Comment

See account by Salvador, 1996, Smithson. Herpetol. Inform. Serv., 109: 7. Donaire-Barroso and Bogaerts, 2003, Podarcis, 4: 84–100, discussed the systematics of this species. Raffaëlli, 2013, Urodeles du Monde, 2nd ed.: 203–204, provided brief accounts by subspecies, photographs, and map. 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: 606, who regarded the Tunisian record as suspect. Dubois and Raffaëlli, 2009, Alytes, 26: 35, based their taxonomic decision to recognize Salamandra tingitana as a distinct species on evidence provided by Steinfartz, Veith, and Tautz, 2000, Mol. Ecol., 9: 397–410, and Escoriza and Comas, 2007, Salamandra, 43: 77–90. Beukema, de Pous, Donaire-Barroso, Escoriza, Bogaerts, Toxopeus, de Bie, Roca, and Carranza, 2010, Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 101: 626–641, suggested that Salamandra algira spelaea is the sister taxon of Salamandra algira algira + Salamandra algira tingitana. These authors rejected the recognition of Salamandra tingitana as a distinct species although noting that the allopatric populations are ecologically distinctive and diagnosible. Reques, Pleguezuelos, Busack, and de Pous, 2013, Basic & Appl. Herpetol., 27: 23–50, discussed the range and conservation status in Morocco. Amor, Kalboussi, and Said, 2013, Basic & Appl. Herpetol., 27: 85–100, discussed the possibility of this species ranging into Tunisia and rejected it. Mateo, Géniez, and Pether, 2013, Basic & Appl. Herpetol., 27: 51–83, provided a range map and comments on the range and population status in Algeria. Beukema, de Pous, Donaire-Barroso, Bogaerts, Garcia-Porta, Escoriza, Arribas, El Mouden, and Carranza, 2013, Zootaxa, 3661: 22–29, discussed the geographic variation within Morocco. Velo-Antón, García-Cardenete, Jiménez Cazalla, and Martínez-Freiría, 2014, Bol. Asoc. Herpetol. Esp., 25: 46–50, discussed the ranges of the nominal subspecies, their reproductive modes, with special reference to the Tingatana Peninsula, Morocco. Sparreboom, 2014, Salamanders Old World: 311–314, reviewed the biology, characteristics, distribution, reproduction, and conservation of the species. Mediani, Brito, and Fahd, 2015, Basic & Appl. Herpetol., 29: 81–107, provided a dot map for northern Morocco. Merabet, Sanchez, Dahmana, Bogaerts, Donaire-Barroso, Steinfartz, Joger, Vences, and Karar, 2016, Amphibia-Reptilia, 37: 1–8, reported on molecular phylogeography in Algeria. Ben Hassine, Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Escoriza, and Martínez-Solano, 2016, J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Res., 54: 116–126, reported on molecular phylogenetics of the allopatric and diagnosable populations, retaining the allopatric subspecies without telling us what a subspecies is in an evolutionary framework. Donaire and Bogaerts, 2016, Butll. Soc. Catalana Herpetol., 23: 64–70, mapped the ranges of the nominal subspecies in Morocco with a discussion of intergrade zones. Hernandez and Escoriza, 2017, Bol. Asoc. Herpetol. Esp., 28: 60–61, provided an easternmost record in Morocco and mapped the species in Morocco. Dinis and Velo-Antón, 2017, Amphibia-Reptilia, 38: 540–546, discussed divergent mtDNA lineages and the distribution of parity types in Salamandra algira tingatana. Bouzid, Konecny, Grolet, Douady, Joly, and Bouslama, 2017, Amphibia-Reptilia, 38: 461–471, reported on phylogeography, color pattern, and skeletochronology in the Edough Massif of northeastern Algeria. Dinis, Merabet, Martínez-Freiría, Steinfartz, Vences, Burgon, Elmer, Donaire-Barroso, Hinckley, Fahd, Joger, Fawzi, Slimani, and Velo-Antón, 2018 "2019", Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 130: 81–91, reported on the allopatric diversification and biogeography over the entire range. Hernandez, 2018, Herpetol. Bull., London, 144: 19–21, discussed the range in Morocco and provided new cave localities. See detailed account by Escoriza and Ben Hassine, 2019, Amph. N. Afr.: 104–113. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 36–37, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Mabrouki, Taybi, Skalli, and Sánchez-Vialas, 2019, Basic & Appl. Herpetol., 33: 19–32, commented on and mapped the species in the Mouloua River Basin and adjacent areas in eastern Morocco. See Dufresnes, 2019, Amph. Eur., N. Afr., & Middle East: 162, for brief summary of identifying morphology and biology, a range map, as well as a photograph (see p. 206–207 for photographs and map of subspecies). Hernandez and Escoriza, 2019, ZooKeys, 893: 143–158, discussed geographic variation and provided a dot map of the named lineages. Raffaëlli, 2022, Salamanders & Newts of the World: 212–220, provided subspecies accounts, summarizing systematics, life history, population status, and distribution (including a polygon map). Gippner, Strowbridge, Šunje, Capstick, Amat, Bogaerts, Merabet, Preissler, Galán, Martínez-Solano, Bonato, Steinfartz, Velo-Antón, Dufresnes, Elmer, and Vences, 2024, Salamandra, 60: 105–128, reported on the effects on genomic analyses of subspecies due to intergradation and hybridization. 

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