New insights into the distribution and ecological modeling of the Paghman Mountain Salamander Paradactylodon mustersi (Caudata: Amphibia) in Afghanistan

Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics

مقالات آماده انتشار، پذیرفته شده، انتشار آنلاین از تاریخ 22 تیر 1404

نوع مقاله: Original Article

شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.22067/ijab.2025.93593.1103

نویسندگان

Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian Yousefkhani^{* 1}؛ Hiwa Faizi²؛ Mohammad Hasan Jafari³؛ Ghulam Dastgeer khawrin⁴

¹Department of Animal Science, School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran

²razi university, Kermanshha, Iran

³Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Baghlan University, Baghlan, Afghanistan

⁴Kabul education university

چکیده

This study provides new insights into the distribution and ecological modeling of the Paghman Mountain Salamander (Paradactylodon mustersi), an endemic species in Afghanistan, based on field surveys across 53 strategically selected localities in high-altitude streams from March to September 2024. We confirmed the species’ presence in all surveyed sites, reflecting targeted sampling of suitable habitats rather than widespread abundance, consistent with its Endangered status (IUCN Red List). Using MaxEnt modeling with cross-validation to minimize overfitting, we identified key environmental variable influencing habitat suitability, as precipitation patterns (BIO13 at 46.1%), with excellent predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.945). The species showed presence in disturbed secondary growth habitats, suggesting some resilience to habitat alteration, though this requires further investigation. Ongoing monitoring and targeted conservation strategies are critical to ensure the long-term survival of this threatened species amidst pollution and climate change pressures. However, ongoing monitoring and targeted conservation strategies are essential to ensure the long-term survival of this threatened species amidst changing environmental conditions.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Amphibian؛ habitat requirements؛ Conservation biology؛ water quality؛ pollution