''Neurergus crocatus'', the yellow-spotted newt, Azerbaijan newt, Azerbaijan mountain newt, mountain newt, or Lake Urmia newt, is a species 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 ten ...

in the family

Salamandridae Salamandridae is a 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 skin. Their skin is v ...

. It occurs in the mountains west of

Lake Urmia Lake Urmia; az, اۇرمۇ گؤلۆ, script=Arab, italic=no, Urmu gölü; ku, گۆلائوو رمیەیێ, Gola Ûrmiyeyê; hy, Ուրմիա լիճ, Urmia lich; arc, ܝܡܬܐ ܕܐܘܪܡܝܐ is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is ...

, in northwestern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, northeastern

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, and southeastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Description

''Neurergus crocatus'' grow to about in total length; the tail is longer than the body (i.e., tail length>

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

). The head is flattened and longer than it is wide. The snout is rounded. The body is slender and almost round, without a dorsal ridge. The tail is rounded at the base and laterally compressed towards its tip. The tail has moderately developed dorsal and ventral fins. The limbs are well-developed; the digits are thick and flat. Colouration is dorsally dark brown to black with yellow, rounded but somewhat irregular blotches; these continue on the tail. The ventral surfaces are orange-red in males and yellowish in females. They can live for between 12-15 years in captivity, and usually reach sexual maturity in four years.

Habitat and conservation

''Neurergus crocatus'' breed in montane streams at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

; after the breeding season, adults disperse to the surrounding areas, but their specific microhabitats are unknown. This species is probably threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, caused by for example new dams.

Description

Habitat and conservation

Notes

References

Further reading