Identification of amphibians killed on the road

The intensive progress of humankind causes cardinal changes in the environment. This leads not only to ecosystem degradation or global climate change but also to the fragmentation of the natural landscape as well. This fragmentation creates difficulties and disrupts animal migrations. Amphibians are about 3⁄4 of vehicle victims of all terrestrial vertebrates!
Taking into account the life cycle of amphibians it is important to emphasize on their three seasonal periods of mass migration: reproductive (spring), nutritive (summer), and hibernative (autumn). Each of them requires covering of significant distances by individuals. Their routes are usually broken by barriers such as roads. Hence, the migrating animal is under the serious risk of being crushed by automobile wheels. Roads cause
not only the mortality of single individuals but result in the decline of populations in over a long period of time! Therefore, it is very important to understand, investigate and prevent the problem as it is the factor of global biodiversity exhaustion.

The correct identification of amphibians killed on the roads is very often a complicated task as the individuals are presented mostly by distorted body fragments hard to determine in a classic way, especially under the total lack of such field keys. To do that is important to know and recognize correctly the typical species` features which became intact after death.
The most important negative factors influencing the condition of amphibian remnants for the correct identification are vehicle intensity and the time passed after the death. Drying up quickly, the remnants lose an important part of species-specific information, e.g. colour, pattern, shape etc. Difficulties during the remnants identification may also concern their size, as amphibians of different age have different size dimensions. Hence, the information given below refers to adult individuals of Central and East European species of amphibians only, with no regard to their sex peculiarities. For the purpose of correct identification of amphibian remnants, we recommend to soak out and wash old, dry and distorted body fragments first. We also pay attention to the fact that amphibian remnants which are totally dry very often may be found at the roadside being blown off by the airflow.

CAUDATA

SALAMANDRIDAE
Fire Salamander — Salamandra salamandra (Linnaeus,1758)

Smooth Newt — Lissotriton vulgaris (Linnaeus,1758)

Carpathian Newt — Lissotriton montandoni (Boulenger,1880)

Alpine Newt — Ichthyosaura alpestris (Laurenti,1768)

Great Crested Newt — Triturus cristatus (Laurenti,1768)

Danube Crested Newt — Triturus dobrogicus (Kiritzescu,1903)

Southern Crested Newt — Triturus karelinii (Strauch,1870)

ANURA

BOMBINATORIDAE

Fire-Bellied Toad — Bombina (B.) bombina (Linnaeus,1761)

Yellow-Bellied Toad — Bombina (B.) variegata (Linnaeus,1758)