Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 1123-1125 (2021) (published online on 20 August 2021)

First report of a melanistic North African fire

Mourad Ahmim1,*, Fares Zoutal2, Amine Berrahal2, and Wouter Beukema3

Of the many pigment aberrations described to of melanistic individuals have remained limited to the
occur in the salamander genus Salamandra Garsault, northernmost S. a. tingitana populations. The distribution
1764 (reviewed by Seidel and Gerhardt, 2016), of S. algira in North Africa is fragmented, ranging in
true melanism, beyond that displayed by the alpine Morocco from the Tingitana Peninsula through the Rif
salamanders S. atra Laurenti, 1768 and S. lanzai Mountains, the Middle Atlas Mountains, and the Beni
Nascetti et al., 1988, has seldom been reported. The Snassen Massif. In Algeria, S. algira is largely restricted to
hitherto described cases included single individuals the northern mountainous regions of Blida, Kabylia, Jijel,
of S. salamandra (Linnaeus, 1758) from Germany Skikda, and Annaba in the eastern Tell Atlas (Escoriza
(e.g., Freytag and Susebach, 1942; Freytag, 1955), and Ben Hassine, 2019; Fig. 1). Contemporary occurrence
and S. s. bernardezi Wolterstorff, 1928 from northern of the species close to the Moroccan border, near Oran,
Spain (Günther, 1996). Repeated breeding experiments remains unconfirmed (Escoriza and Ben Hassine, 2019).
between one of the German melanistic fire salamanders In the daytime on 10 November 2020, a gravid adult
and normal-coloured individuals resulted in partially female Salamandra algira algira (total length near 250
hypermelanistic offspring, but never in fully melanistic mm) was observed swimming in a water cistern with
salamanders (Freytag and Susebach, 1942). Melanism steep walls (Fig. 2A), located along National Road 33
has been reported to occur sporadically in high-elevation where it crosses the Tizi-n-Kouilal high mountain pass in
populations of S. s. almanzoris Müller & Hellmich, the Djurdjura Mountains, Tizi-Ouzou Province, northern
1935 and in low-elevation, Mediterranean-influenced Algeria (36.4745°N; 4.2359°E; elevation 1568 m; Fig.
populations of S. algira tingitana Donaire-Barroso & 2B). Species identity was independently confirmed by
Bogaerts, 2003 (Bogaerts and Donaire-Barroso, 2003; Axel Hernandez (Université de Corse Pascal Paoli,
Seidel and Gerhardt, 2016; Escoriza and Ben Hassine, Corte, France). The section of the Tizi-n-Kouilal where
2019). Whether such recurring melanism is driven by the salamander was found is characterized by Atlas
the environmental conditions in which these subspecies Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) woodland. Assuming it was
occur, remains uncertain. unable to escape and might drown, the salamander was
Despite increased research interest in Salamandra removed from the cistern and placed on the adjacent
algira in recent years (reviewed by Beukema et al., 2013; forest soil. While doing so, it became clear that the
see also Ben Hassine et al., 2016; Merabet et al., 2016; salamander lacked any colour pattern characteristics
Dinis et al., 2019; Hernandez and Escoriza, 2019), records typical of S. algira, such as yellow dorsal blotches, red
spots, or white spots on the flanks.
This entirely black S. a. algira represents the first case
of melanism for this species in Algeria and the first record
of melanism for a subspecies other than S. a. tingitana.
1
Laboratoire de Recherche en Ecologie et Environnement,
Hernandez and Escoriza (2019), in their description of
Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de
Béjaïa, 06000 Béjaïa, Algeria.
S. a. atlantica, make mention of an individual with ‘0’
2
Collectif des Randonneurs et Ecologistes Amateurs yellow spots, but it is unclear whether this refers to a
Indépendants, Béjaïa, Algeria. truly melanistic specimen. With only a single individual
3
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300RA Leiden, observed, it remains unknown if melanism is recurrent
The Netherlands. in this population. Future surveys are needed to reveal
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: forestecolo@gmail.com whether this is the case, and potentially provide
© 2021 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. interesting research prospects.
1124 Mourad Ahmim et al.

Figure 1. Distribution of Salamandra algira algira in Algeria (red areas) and location of the melanistic specimen (yellow circle).

Figure 2. Melanistic Salamandra algira algira encountered along the Tizi-n-Kouilal high mountain pass in the Djurdjura
Mountains, province of Tizi-Ouzou, northern Algeria.

Acknowledgements. The authors would like to greatly thank Dinis, M., Merabet, K., Martínez-Freiría, F., Steinfartz, S., Vences,
the young independent hikers Achour Oularbi, Karim Djebbab, M., Burgon, J.D., et al. (2019): Allopatric diversification and
and Chawki Gaouir, who joined us during the expedition to evolutionary melting pot in a North African Palearctic relict:
help us save the salamander from drowning. Without them, the the biogeographic history of Salamandra algira. Molecular
salamander would surely have perished. Phylogenetics and Evolution 130: 81–91.
Escoriza, D., Ben Hassine, J. (2019): Amphibians of North Africa.
References London, United Kingdom, Academic Press.
Escoriza, D., Comas, M.M., Donaire, D., Carranza, S. (2006):
Ben Hassine, J., Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, J., Escoriza, D., Martínez- Rediscovery of Salamandra algira Bedriaga, 1883 from the Beni
Solano, I. (2016): Inferring the roles of vicariance, climate and Snassen massif (Morocco) and phylogenetic relationships of
topography in population differentiation in Salamandra algira North African Salamandra. Amphibia-Reptilia 27(3): 448–455.
(Caudata, Salamandridae). Journal of Zoological Systematics Freytag, G.E. (1955): Feuersalamander und Alpensalamander.
and Evolutionary Research 54(2): 116–126. Wittenberg, Germany, Ziemsen Verlag.
Beukema, W., Pous, P. de, Donaire-Barroso, D., Bogaerts, S., Freytag, G.E., Susebach, E. (1942): Beitrag zur Kenntnis des
Garcia-Porta, J., Escoriza, D., et al. (2013): Review of the Farbkleides des Feuersalamanders (Salamandra salamandra
systematics, distribution, biogeography and natural history of L.). Zoologischer Anzeiger 138: 127–138.
Moroccan amphibians. Zootaxa 3661(1): 1–60. Günther, E. (1996): Salamandra salamandra bernardezi
Bogaerts, S., Donaire-Barroso, D. (2003): Sobre el politipismo en Wolterstorff, 1928 in Oviedo, Spanien: ein Schwanzlurch als
Salamandra algira Bedriaga, 1883. Boletín de la Asociación Stadtbewohner. Zeitschrift für Feldherpetologie 3: 1–18.
Herpetológica Española 14: 47–51.
First Report of Melanistic Salamandra algira 1125
Hernandez, A., Escoriza, D. (2019): A new subspecies of African
fire salamander Salamandra algira (Urodela, Salamandridae)
from the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco. ZooKeys 893:
143–158.
Merabet, K., Sanchez, E., Dahmana, A., Bogaerts, S., Donaire, D.,
Steinfartz, S., et al. (2016): Phylogeographic relationships and
shallow mitochondrial divergence of Algerian populations of
Salamandra algira. Amphibia-Reptilia 37(1): 1–8.
Seidel, U., Gerhardt, P. (2016): The genus Salamandra. Frankfurt
am Main, Germany, Edition Chimaira.

Accepted by Idriss Bouam