MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF BLACK-AND-WHITE EUROPEAN CAVE SALAMANDERS, PROTEUS-ANGUINUS

Morphometric data for the cave salamander, Proteus anguinus, from the Dinaric Karst of south-eastern Europe are analysed with data for the r ecently described black and non-troglomorphic Proteus anguinus parkelj from south-eastern Slovenia. Proteus a. anguinus and P. a. parkelj ar e morphologically distinct. Within P. a. anguinus, inland and coastal populations possess distinguishable phenotypes. Mantel permutation tes ts show that no firm evidence is available that demonstrates the exist ence of clinal variation. The characters that best describe difference s within P. a. anguinus (head, trunk and tail length, the number of co stal grooves) also document the differentiation between P, a. anguinus and P. a. parkelj. The claim that P. a. parkelj falls within the (cli nal) variation of P. a. anguinus is untenable. Accordingly, its taxono mic status is upheld.