Rediscovery of the Caucasian Smooth Newt, Lissotriton lantzi (Wolterstorff, 1914) (Salamandridae, Amphibia) in North Ossetia–Alania

Abstract

Lantz’s newt, or the Caucasian smooth newt, Lissotriton lantzi, is an endemic species for the Caucasian mountain-forest belt. In North Ossetia–Alania, only 4 findings of this newt are known in the Prigorodniy, Alagirskiy and Irafskiy districts. Since 1983, there has been no new information about any findings of L. lantzi in this region. On August 4, 2020, L. lantzi larvae were caught in a lake on the left shore of the Urukh River in the Irafskiy district. Newts live here in a beech forest at an altitude of 810 m. The authors assume that L. lantzi in North Ossetia–Alania inhabits the entire forest belt in the range of altitudes of 700–1000 m above sea level.