Olm sweet olm: unearthing nine species of Proteus hidden beneath the Dinaric Karst

What is it about?

The olm, also known as the "human fish," is one of the world's most iconic cave-dwelling animals. This blind, depigmented salamander, which lives exclusively in subterranean rivers, has fascinated naturalists for more than 350 years. It is also the world's longest-lived amphibian, with some individuals exceeding a century in age. Yet despite this long history of scientific research, the olm had until now been regarded as a single species: Proteus anguinus._x000D_ _x000D_ By comprehensively reviewing and re-assessing genetic diversity, morphological variation, geographic distributions of Proteus, building the first species distribution models for the genus, and investigating its complex nomenclatural history, our study subtantiates that the olm actually comprises nine distinct species, three of which are newly described. These findings reveal Proteus as one of the most remarkable amphibian radiations in Europe, but also one of the most threatened: all nine species have narrow and highly fragmented distributions, and several are restricted to a single groundwater system, placing them at immediate risk of extinction._x000D_ _x000D_ Recognizing this hidden diversity represents a major step forward for species-level conservation and provides a robust framework for future evolutionary and ecological research on this amazing animal.

Featured Image