Review of Records of Mioproteus (Caudata: Proteidae) from Southeastern Europe

The present paper provides a review of new and previously known records of Mioproteus (Caudata: Proteidae) from 16 localities in Southeastern Europe: Northern Carpathians, Northern Black Sea region, Azov Sea region, and Northern Caucasus. Records of Mioproteus from five localities are reported for the first time. Mioproteus caucasicus is revealed from six localities, M. wezei —from two localities. This review allows the characteristics of M. caucasicus and M. wezei , as well as the systematic position of previously known records to be clarified. The presence/absence of ridges connecting the neural spine and forking processes of the neural arch should be considered as only reliable diagnostic feature of M. caucasicus and M. wezei .