On the distribution and chromatic differentiation of the Alpine Salamander Salamandra atra Laurenti, 1768, between Val Lagarina and Val Sugana (Venetian Prealps): an updated review

Published and unpublished information was compiled and critically reviewed, in order to present an updated synthesis on the micro-distribution and the chromatic differentiation of the Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra LAURENTI, 1768) in the Prealps between Val Lagarina and Val Sugana. Populations are known from the northwestern part of the Sette Comuni plateau and the southern slopes of the Pasubio massif. The Alpine Salamander is most likely present also at the top of the latter relief, on the Cornetto ridge and on the Carega massif. At least two types of populations, probably allopatric, could be distinguished on the basis of chromatic features: those of extensively patched individuals (described as S. atra aurorae), on the Sette Comuni plateau and those of poorly patched individuals, rarely completely black, on the Pasubio massif. A third type, in which entirely black individuals are more frequent, is supposed to exist on massifs in the south-west of the area.