Phylogenetic Affinity and Genetic Structure of the Southern Crested Newt Triturus karelinii Strauch, 1870 (Amphibia: Caudata) in Iran Inferred from mtDNA Sequences

The southern crested newt Triturus karelinii Strauch, 1870, is widely distributed on the northern Iran plateau, where it is one of the most common newts. Mitochondrial DNA sequences (the genes cyt b and ND4) were used to determine the genetic diversity and phylogenetic position of Iranian Triturus. The results corroborate the monophyly of T. karelinii and confirm that all Iranian and Azerbaijan populations belong to the same species. Genetic distances (K2-p) between Iranian T. karelinii and other Triturus species was relatively high, (7-25% for ND4 and 8-19% for cytb). However, infraspecific genetic diversity among the Iranian populations was very low, which may indicate strong gene flow between populations.