Habitat suitability prediction for Salamandra infraimmaculata (Caudata: Amphibia) in western Iran based on species distribution modeling

Abstract

Salamandra infraimmaculata is a member of family Salamandridae that is distributed in Iran, Turkey, and Lebanon. We surveyed habitat suitability predictions for the species in Kurdistan province, Western Iran. Distribution prediction showed excellent performance (area under the curve = 0.962), with temperature seasonality (47.8%) and precipitation of coldest quarter (38.4%) being two main bioclimatic variables predicting species presence. Temperature and precipitation are two dependent variables on which vegetation and habitat type depend. Slopes of the western Zagros Mountains have moist and temperate oak forests that contain many springs. The presence of both oak forests and water resources may allow the establishment of populations of fire salamanders in the region. As the forests are decreasing because of human activities, the amount of suitable habitats for this species is also decreasing. It is necessary to develop and implement conservation programs to protect the oak forests on the western slopes of the Zagros.