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 to ...

(''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 of ...

'') was separated from the southern crested newt, and in 2016, the Anatolian crested newt (''

Triturus anatolicus The Anatolian crested newt (''Triturus anatolicus'') is a species of newt endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was initially considered to belong to the southern crested newt (''Triturus karelinii'') and 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 ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, and in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and south of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

, whereas the populations on the southeast Balkan peninsula and western Anatolia belong to the

Balkan crested newt 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 ...

while those of northern Anatolia belong to the

Anatolian crested newt The Anatolian crested newt (''Triturus anatolicus'') is a species of newt endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was initially considered to belong to the southern crested newt (''Triturus karelinii'') and the ...

Habitat

The southern crested newt lives in a variety of mountain habitats, including both broadleaf and

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

forests, slopes, and

plateaus In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), 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. Oft ...

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 Habitats Directive species {{Salamandridae-stub