Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 24 (1979 - 1980)
Pliocene Salamandrids (Amphibia, Caudata) from Poland
Abstract:
The Polish Pliocene fossil record of the Urodela family Salamandridae is described in this article. The genus Mertensiella is reported as fossil for the first time, with forms very similar to the living M. caucasica, today with a relict distribution in the Caucasus. Vertebral morphology suggests that M. caucasica forms the sister group of Chioglossa lusitanica + C. meini and not of M. luschani or the genus Salamandra. Triturus montandoni has been recovered for the first time in the fossil record. The Polish Pliocene has also given the oldest known remains of the living species Salamandra salamandra and Triturus cristatus. A survey of the fossil record of the living species of this family indicates that the present European fauna was already well established by the end of the Neogene.
