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The alpine salamander (''Salamandra atra'') is a shiny black salamander found in the central, eastern and Dinaric Alps, at altitudes above . The western Alps are inhabited by a similar species, Lanza's alpine salamander (''Salamandra lanzai''), in only one small area. No differences in length are seen between sexes () and the sex ratio is 1:1. Their life expectancy is at least 10 years. Unlike other salamanders whose larvae are developed in water, the alpine salamander is a fully terrestrial species. Capture-recapture methods suggest the species is very stationary; was the maximum observed distance travelled by one individual during the summer season. About 120 individuals per hectare were counted in most suitable areas with >2000 individuals/ha also observed, suggesting this rather cryptic species is quite abundant.〔Bonato, Fracasso. Movements, distribution pattern and density in a population of Salamandra atra aurorae (Caudata: Salamandridae). Amphibia-Reptilia 2003, 24, 251-260.〕 ==Subspecies== *''S. a. atra'' is a fully melanistic (black) subspecies from central, eastern and Dinaric Alps. *''S. a. aurorae'', the golden alpine salamander, is classified as being Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List 2002. This subspecies has golden or yellow spots on its back and lives in a small area in the Venetian prealps near Asiago. *''S. a. pasubiensis'', with less yellow spots than ''S. a. aurorae'', lives in a different part of the Venetian prealps (Pasubio massif). *''S. a. prenjensis'' lives on Prenj Mountain, part of the Dinaric Alps in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Validity of this subspecies is yet to be confirmed.〔Bonato & Steinfartz. Evolution of the melanistic color in the Alpine salamander ''Salamandra atra'' as revealed by a new subspecies from the Venetian prealps. Italian Journal of Zoology 2001, 72, 253-260.〕 Genetic analysis suggests the Corsican fire salamander (''Salamandra corsica'') is the closest related species, and the black-yellow coloration is an ancestral feature of alpine salamanders. Proposed colonization from south (Prealps) to Alps was carried out by the fully melanistic (derived feature) ''S. a. atra'' after the last retreat of the ice sheets.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「alpine salamander」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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