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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">The republic of Georgia is situated in the central-western part of the Caucasus Isthmus&#13;
in between the Black and Caspian Seas. The country has thirteen amphibian&#13;
species: Triturus karelinii, T. vittatus ophryticus, T. vulgaris lantzi, Mertensiella caucasica,&#13;
Pelobates syriacus, Pelodytes caucasicus, Bufo verrucosissimus, B. viridis, Hyla arborea&#13;
schelkownikowi, H. savignyi, Rana macrocnemis, R. camerani, R. ridibunda. Three species&#13;
(M. caucasica, P. caucasicus, B. verrucosissimus) and two subspecies (T. vulgaris lantzi,&#13;
H. arborea schelkownikowi) are endemic to the Caucasus. Four species (T. vittatus, H.&#13;
savignyi, R. macrocnemis, R. »camerani«) are restricted to the Near East region. Two (T.&#13;
karelinii, P. syriacus) are distributed throughout south-eastern Europe and the Middle&#13;
East, while two (B. virdis, R. ridibunda) have a wide Eurasian distribution. The analysis&#13;
of amphibian distribution patterns, both within and outside the Caucasus region,&#13;
leads to the recognition of five Zoogeographie groups that in term can be arranged&#13;
into the larger units of (1) amphibians of the Near East and (2) amphibians of the&#13;
Caucasian Zoogeographie district. Two pairs of closely related species (or subspecies)&#13;
(Hyla and Rana) produce hybrid zones in Georgia.</abstract>
