The southern crested newt (''Triturus karelinii'') is a terrestrial European
newt
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...
. It is similar to the
northern crested newt
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up ...
(''Triturus cristatus'') except larger and more robust.
In 2013, the Balkan-Anatolian crested newt (''
Triturus ivanbureschi
The Balkan crested newt or Buresch's crested newt (''Triturus ivanbureschi'') is a newt species of the crested newt species complex in genus ''Triturus'', found in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia.
It was originally described as a subspecies o ...
'') was separated from the southern crested newt,
[ ] and in 2016, the Anatolian crested newt (''
Triturus anatolicus
The Anatolian crested newt (''Triturus anatolicus'') is a newt species endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was first considered to belong to the southern crested newt (''Triturus karelinii'') and then the ...
'') was separated from ''T. ivanbureschi'', henceforth just the Balkan crested newt.
[ ]
Physical characteristics
Southern crested newts are brown to gray dorsally, with darker patches scattered about. Their bellies and throats are orange, with small black dots. They grow up to 7.1 in (18 cm).
[livingunderworld.or]
Accessed 12/22/06 Males have a large jagged crest from behind their necks down to their tails.
Range
Southern crested newts occur on
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, and in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
and south of the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
, whereas the populations on the southeast Balkan peninsula and western Anatolia belong to the
Balkan crested newt while those of northern Anatolia belong to the
Anatolian crested newt
The Anatolian crested newt (''Triturus anatolicus'') is a newt species endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was first considered to belong to the southern crested newt (''Triturus karelinii'') and then the ...
.
Habitat
The southern crested newt lives in a variety of mountain habitats, including both
broadleaf and
coniferous forests, slopes, and
plateaus
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
.
[
]
Lifecycle
Sexual maturity is reached at three to four years old. During the breeding season, they are found in most sources of water, such as swamps, lakes, stagnant ponds, ditches and temporary pools, and streams.[ Males usually live to about eight, and females to 11 years old.][http://www.leca.ujf-grenoble.f]
Accessed 1/3/07
References
External links
*http://www.livingunderworld.org/caudata/database/salamandridae/triturus/
Triturus
Amphibians described in 1870
{{Salamandridae-stub