Body size, population structure and fecundity traits of a Salamandra atra atra (Amphibia, Urodela, Salamandridae) population from the northeastern Italian Alps

dents' holes. They were located at sight and caught by hand. Each individual was subsequently sexed and snout-vent length (SVL), tail length (TaL) and total length (TL) were measured with a dial calliper to the nearest 0.1 mm. Individual marking was applied by cutting a combination of one or two toes (Twitty, 1966; Donnelly et al., 1994). Sex was determined by analysis of external secondary sexual characters (SSC): adult males have a prominent, swollen, cloaca, and are more slender than females, which (especially when pregnant) are more corpulent than males. Furthermore, 'adults' were distinguished from 'juveniles', according to Klewen (1986) and Bonato (1998, unpubl. Thesis, Padova Univ.), with the latter group including individuals without evident external SSC, and usually with a total size smaller than 90 mm.

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