Past, present, and future climate space of the only endemic vertebrate genus of the Italian peninsula.

ABSTRACT: The two extant Salamandrina species represent a unique case of morphology, ecology, and ethology among urodeles. The range of this genus is currently limited to Italy, where it represents the only endemic vertebrate genus, but its past range extended over a much broader area of Europe, including the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas. ENM analyses using modern occurrences of Salamandrina demonstrate that the current climate of the majority of Europe, and especially areas where fossils of this genus were found, is currently not suitable for this genus, neither was it suitable during the last 3.3 million years. This result allows possible assumptions about the climatic influence on the former extirpation of this salamander from several areas of Europe. Furthermore, it shows that, during Pliocene-

SUBMITTER: Macaluso L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8590061 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature