''Neurergus'' is a genus of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

s, more specifically

newt A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...

s, in the family

Salamandridae Salamandridae is a Family (biology), family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough ski ...

. They are found in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

(predominantly in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

), and are kept and bred in captivity for their bright colors. In nature, they inhabit streams and small rivers, and the surrounding

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s or

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

s. All of the ''Neurergus'' are considered threatened species, primarily due to destruction of habitat and overcollection for the pet trade.

Morphology

Generally, ''Neurergus'' species are dark-colored (brown to black) above, with a pattern of white to yellow to orange spots and lines. On their ventral sides, the lighter color of their spots becomes a solid color. Like most salamanders, they have five toes on their hind feet.

Species

Studies have demonstrated the genus ''Neurergus'' is

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

,Steinfartz, S.; Hwang, U. W.; Tautz, D.; Öz, M. and Veith, M. (2002) "Molecular Phylogeny of the Salamandrid Genus ''Neurergus'': Evidence for an Intrageneric Switch of Reproductive Biology" ''Amphibia-Reptilia'' 23: pp. 419-431, containing these species:

Intrinsic Phylogeny

Intrinsic phylogeny tree of genus ''Neurergus''.

References

External links

"Neurergus Cope, 1862"
''Salamanders of the Old World''
"Neurergus (Cope, 1862)"
''Living Under World.Org, A Web Project about Amphibians''

photographs of ''Neurergus kaiseri'' Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Amphibian genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Salamandridae-stub