COVER N. 482 - SERBIA

Postmark: Novi Sad 21117 24.06.24

Posted on 24th June; received on the 2nd July 2024

_________________________________________________________________________________

What a joyful set of stamps on this lovely cover.  Amphibians are sometimes not that well looked upon by people due to their often slimy look, but  I find them absolutely fascinating (and this goes well back in time). Hvala najlepše, Antea!

Looking at the three stamps what is immediately apparent is the fine way in which the predominant colours of the three amphibians depicted in the stamps go together. After all we have blue and yellow on the sides and their complementary, green, in the middle, so this would always work great. 

The uncommon viewpoints for the images also add interest to the images and I do find this set quite a fine one.

The three 48 Dinar se-tenant stamps were issued under the theme "Protected Animal Species" on 22NOV2023. From left to right we have:

- Alpine newt (Ichtyosaura aplpensis), a newt species that occurs in much of Continental Europe and the north of Spain, and which has been introduced in Great Britain and New Zealand.

The adults measure between 7 and 12 cm and even if classified as Least Concern by IUCN, pressure on the species due to loss of habitat and predation by other species is on the rise.

- Hyla arborea, the common tree frog, also a species classified as "Least Concern", native to much of Europe. Asia and northern Africa. 

Genetic studies though have resulted in new divisions for the genus which now numbers several species in the general European Tree Frog Family.

- Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra), the dandy yellow dotted black salamander which can be found all across central and southern Europe and which is now classified and "Vulnerable" as a consequence of the mortality brought about by a fungal infection by  Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.

The postmark although very difficult to read hails from Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city, with a population of approximately 360,000 inhabitants.