Lissotriton

Lissotriton
Lissotriton vulgaris
(smooth newt)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Salamandridae
Subfamily: Pleurodelinae
Genus: Lissotriton
Bell, 1839[1]
Type species
Lissotriton vulgaris
Synonyms[1]
  • Geotriton Bonaparte, 1832
  • Lophinus Gray, 1850
  • Meinus Dubois & Raffaëlli, 2009
  • Meinus Rafinesque, 1815
  • Palaeotriton Bolkay, 1927
  • Palmitus Rafinesque, 1815

Lissotriton is a genus of newts native to Europe and parts of Asia Minor. As most other newts, they are aquatic as larvae and during breeding time but live in terrestrial, humid environments over the rest of the season.

These rather small species used to be included in genus Triturus, but phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that genus as paraphyletic.[1][2] In the following, the name Lissotriton, originally introduced by Thomas Bell in 1839, was reinstated for the small-bodied species related to the type species Lissotriton vulgaris (the smooth newt).[1][3]

Their exact phylogenetic placement within the newts (subfamily Pleurodelinae) is still uncertain.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference amphibian-species-world was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference TitusLarson1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference García-París2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).