The endangered Yellow Spotted Mountain Newt, Neurergus microspilotus, is a poorly known species that has been reported from highland first order streams in western Iran and eastern Iraq. We used a presence-only model to provide potential distribution for the species and identified the variables best explaining the occurrence of the species. Using available information on known localities of N. microspilotus, we developed a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model to predict potential distribution of this species in Iran and Iraq. After the model was validated, we found that low (< 0–20) suitability scores for N. microspilotus presence corresponded to 52% of the total area considered (26,572 km2); whereas, high (80-100) suitability scores corresponded to only 2% of this area. Of the total suitable habitat, approximately 67% is located in Iran and 33% in Iraq. The model achieved a 1.8 regularized gain value with contribution of more than 51% provided by precipitation of coldest quarter as the main factor influencing the model performance. With three protected areas in Iraq and one in Iran near or within the predicted distribution, only 2.29% of range for the species was within protected areas. The model indicated high suitability score for considerable area in Iraq that has not been searched for N. microspilotus. To preserve the species, we recommend surveys of Iraqi territory in search of N. microspilotus and to initiate studies to allocate more reserves with corridors that bridge the otherwise impermeable gaps between the breeding streams.
کلید واژگان :amphibian; biodiversity; conservation; endangered species; species distribution modeling
ارزش ریالی : 600000 ریال
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