MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION, CYTOGENETIC ANALYSIS, AND GEOGRAPHICAL-DISTRIBUTION OF THE PYGMY MARBLED NEWT TRITURUS-MARMORATUS-PYGMAES (WOLTERSTORFF, 1905) (CAUDATA, SALAMANDRIDAE)

Triturus marmoratus pygmaeus, a problematic subspecies of the Marbled Newt from the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, is redescribed u sing specimens collected in the ''typical'' area. Diagnostic external morphological features are provided to permit the accurate determinati on of the specimens belonging either to T. m. marmoratus or to T. m. p ygmaeus. These diagnostic features were applied to individuals both fr om the field and from museum collections. The results indicate a large r distributional area for T. m. pygmaeus than was previously recognize d. The distribution of T. m. marmoratus ranges over the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula and most of France; T. m. pygmaeus occupies t he southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The contact area betwee n the two subspecies seems to be located along the Central Range Mount ains (Sistema Central) in Portugal and Spain. T. m. marmoratus extends southwards beyond this borderline in three areas: Serra da Estrela (P ortugal), Sierra de Gata (Spain) and Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain). The only point at which T. m. pygmaeus reaches northwards beyond the Cent ral System is near Puerto de Malagon (Madrid Province, Spain). No case s of strict sympatry, nor individuals with intermediate morphological features have been observed. The results of an extensive cytogenetical analysis do not show any differences between T. m. pygmaeus and T. m. marmoratus. Interestingly, however, the T. m. pygmaeus populations fr om Donana (Huelva Province, Spain) showed an exclusive, though little differentiated, C-banding pattern.