New insights into the distribution and ecological modeling of the Paghman Mountain Salamander Paradactylodon mustersi (Caudata: Amphibia) in Afghanistan

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

Mohammad Hassan Jafari ¹

Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian Yousefkhani ²

Hiwa Faizi ³

Ghulam Dastgeer Khawrin ⁴

¹ Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Baghlan University, Baghlan, Afghanistan

² Department of Animal Science, School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran

³ razi university, Kermanshha, Iran

⁴ Kabul education university

10.22067/ijab.2025.93593.1103

Abstract

This study provides new insights into the distribution and ecological modeling of the Paghman Mountain Salamander (Paradactylodon mustersi), an endemic species in Afghanistan, based on field surveys across 53 strategically selected localities in high-altitude streams from March to September 2024. We confirmed the species’ presence in all surveyed sites, reflecting targeted sampling of suitable habitats rather than widespread abundance, consistent with its Endangered status (IUCN Red List). Using MaxEnt modeling with cross-validation to minimize overfitting, we identified key environmental variable influencing habitat suitability, as precipitation patterns (BIO13 at 46.1%), with excellent predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.945). The species showed presence in disturbed secondary growth habitats, suggesting some resilience to habitat alteration, though this requires further investigation. Ongoing monitoring and targeted conservation strategies are critical to ensure the long-term survival of this threatened species amidst pollution and climate change pressures. However, ongoing monitoring and targeted conservation strategies are essential to ensure the long-term survival of this threatened species amidst changing environmental conditions.

Keywords

Amphibian

habitat requirements

Conservation biology

water quality

pollution

Subjects

• Ecology and Evolution
• Zoogeography

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