TAXONOMY
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Salamandridae

Genus/species: Neurergus kaiseri

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: N. kaiseri has a distinctive, spectacular coloration, with a long narrow yellow or orange-red dorsal stripe overlaying bleached white (spots or a continuous band) on a black background. The bottom is whitish or orange-red, and may have black markings.

Length up to 14 cm (5.5 in)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Native to the central Zagros Mountains of Iran in the Lorestan and Khuzestan provinces. N. kaiseri comes from a hot dry climate. They reproduce in winter during periods of rain, which are followed by long periods of hot dry weather in which the animals estivate. It is estimated that water is present in their habitat for 3 months of the year or less.

DIET in captivity: They are fed small earthworms (whole or chopped), lesser wax worms, large fruit flies, maggots, tropical woodlice, and crickets of appropriate size.
They are not picky eaters.

REPRODUCTION: Eggs are deposited singly on rough surfaces on the underside of stones and also use vegetation.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Vulnerable. The population is considered to be severely fragmented as per IUCN guidelines given the habitat where it occurs and the relatively low vagility of the species. The species is illegally harvested for the national and international pet trade Its biggest threat. It is believed that less than 1000 adults exist in nature. N. kaiseri has become the first example of a species granted international protection due to e-commerce.

REMARKS: A captive breeding program is in place at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, which now has hundreds of surplus captive-bred N. kaiseri.

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium, Water is life precious little water 2018

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/25770028168/in/album-72157662092331262/

Amphibia web. amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?query_src=aw_lists_gener…

IUCN www.iucnredlist.org/details/59450/0

Caudata Culture. www.caudata.org/cc/species/Neurergus/N_kaiseri.shtml