QUICK INDEX

Lissotriton

Lissotriton boscai, Bosca's Newt

Lissotriton graecus, Greek Newt

Lissotriton helveticus, Palmate Newt

Lissotriton italicus, Italian Newt

Lissotriton kosswigi, Kosswig’s Newt

Lissotriton lantzi, Caucasian Smooth Newt

Lissotriton maltzani, Portugese Smooth Newt

Lissotriton montandoni, Montandon's Newt

Lissotriton schmidtleri, Schmidtler’s Smooth Newt

Lissotriton vulgaris, Common/Smooth Newt

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

Size

Notes

Lissotriton

L. boscai

Bosca's Newt [Fr Triton Boscai: D Spanischer Wassermolch]

W. Iberia (Spain and Portugal)

?

Similar to Palmate Newt but males lack tail filament. Inhabits mainly small ponds but sometimes lakes within caves. Click here for a picture. Description: fronto-squamosal arch bony, thick. Palatine teeth in two posteriorly diverging series, forming a A-shaped figure; these series commencing on a line with the choanae. Tongue moderate, subcircular, free along the sides and more or less behind. Head a little longer than broad, with a single longitudinal groove, its length contained about thrice in the length of the body; the greatest width at anterior corners of eyes ; latter prominent; snout broad, truncate; labial lobes much developed. Body subquadrangular in the breeding male, nearly round in the female; no dorsal crest. Limbs moderate; fingers and toes depressed, free; carpal and tarsal tubercles distinct. Tail strongly compressed during the breeding-season, with an upper and lower crest, as long as or a little longer than head and body; in the male the tail ends rather abruptly, and is shortly mucronate. Cloaca of male a longitudinal * Having, through the kindness of my friend Dr. O. Boettger, examined the type specimen (a young ^) m the Senokenberg Museum, I am able to state that that species is the same as M. boscE. The larger tongue is a character of immaturity, which I have frequently noticed in other species of this genus

cleft, -with, strongly swollen lips, as in M. vulgaris, that of the female subcorneal, directed backwards, with circular opening. Skin smooth or slightly granulate above; head with distinct series of pores; parotoid region thickened ; a distinct gular fold. Brown or olive above, with irregular darker spots ; no longitudinal dark streaks on the head ; lower surfaces orange, with scattered round black spots ; lower edge of tail yellow, with black spots in the male, immaculate in the female. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

L. graecus

Greek Newt

L. helveticus

Palmate Newt [Fr Triton palm? D Fadenmolch]

W. Europe as far as Scotland and NW Iberia.

2½-4"?

See above for remarks on similarity to Montandon's Newt. The main difference is the shorter tail filament (only up to 5mm) and webbed feet in the males. Females lack the tail filament and have a narrower caudal fin and smaller spots on the body. It is highly adaptable, living in ponds, marshes and brackish water in coastal areas but also occupying mountainous regions of up to 2,000 m. Life cycle and diet are the same as Montandon's. Description: fronto-squamosal arch bony. Vomerine teeth in two posteriorly diverging series, forming a A- or A-shaped figure; these series commencing on a line with the choanae. Tongue as in L. vulgaris. Head as in the latter species, but the snout broader; length of head contained about twice and two thirds in the male, thrice in the female, in the length of the body. Body quadrangular in the breeding male, a more or less developed cutaneous fold bordering each side; a low, entire, vertebral crest; in the female, the body is nearly round, with a low vertebral ridge, as in M. vulgaris. Limbs moderate; fingers and toes depressed, the latter fully webbed in the breeding male ; two small carpal and tarsal tubercles. Tail a little longer than head and body, strongly compressed during the breeding season, and with an upper and lower crest ; the male's tail truncate and ending in a filament; this filament scarcely distinct in the female. Skin smooth, or nearly so; head with distinct series of pores; gular fold generally distinct. Upper parts brown or olive, with small darker spots; head with longitudinal dark streaks, the outer (those passing through the eyes) being constant; in the male, the head is minutely speckled with dark brown, and the dorsal and upper caudal crest and feet are blackish ; lower surfaces not coloured, except the median zone of the belly, which is orange; a few small blackish dots are generally scattered on the belly; inferior caudal crest immaculate, orange in the female, bluish grey in the male; a series of spots, sometimes confluent, along the upper and lower border of the tail. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

L. italicus

Italian Newt [Fr Triton italien: D Italienischer Wassermolch]

S Italy

2-3"

Smallest European newt. Males have low border on tail instead of dorsal crest.

L. kosswigi

Kosswig’s Smooth Newt

L. lantzi

Caucasian Smooth Newt

L. maltzani

Portugese Smooth Newt

L. montandoni

Montandon's Newt, Carpathian Newt [Fr Triton des Carpathes: D Karpatenmolch]

Carpathians, Jesenik highlands in N Moravia

2½-4"

Interesting newt confined to small part of Central Europe but closely related to the Palmate Newt T. helveticus of W. Europe. It seems both were once the same species but evolved separately after geographical separation during the ice ages. (A further pointer is that Montandon's Newts have occasionally been found in Germany). Preferred habitat is warm still water over a muddy bottom, but pools of spring water up to 2,000 m. high may also be used. Males have only a fin-like border on the tail, as opposed to the usual dorsal crest, but are larger than the females and the tip of their tail ends in a filament up to 8mm long. There are prominent ridges along the newts' backs which make it somewhat square in cross-section, and the skin is rough. Hybrids between Montandon's Newt and the Smooth Newt have been encountered: these creatures have a longer terminal filament and only a narrow dorsal crest. The aquatic phase of this newt is comparatively short, and thereafter it inhabits dry land for the rest of the year. Larvae occasionally also hibernate and complete their metamorphosis the following year. Description: fronto-sqnamosal arch bony. Palatine teeth in two posteriorly diverging series, forming a A-shaped figure; these series commencing on a line with the choanae. Tongue moderate, oval, free along the sides. Head a little longer than broad, with three distinct longitudinal grooves, its length contained about thrice in the length of the body, the greatest width at posterior comers of eyes; snout rounded; labial lobes well developed during the breeding-season. Body quadrangular in the male, a well-developed cutaneous fold bordering each side; no dorsal crest ; in the female, the body nearly round. Limbs moderate; fingers and toes depressed, free; carpal and tarsal tubercles distinct. Tail strongly compressed during the breeding-season, and with an upper and lower crest, as long as or a little shorter than head and body; in the male it ends in a filament. Skin smooth or rather warty above, smooth beneath; head with distinct series of pores ; a distinct gular fold. Olive or brownish above, variegated with darker; the vertebral line generally lighter in the female; in the male, the head is minutely speckled with blackish, and the feet are black; lower surfaces orange, immaculate; lower caudal edge orange, with black vertical spots in the male. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

L. schmidtleri

Schmidtler’s Smooth Newt

L. vulgaris

Smooth Newt [Fr Triton ponctu? D Teichmolch]

All Europe, inc. GB and Ire. but not Iberia, S. France or Italy

3-4"

Very abundant species from the West of Europe as far east as the Altai Mountains. Primarily found in slow of still water in lowlands, but can also be found in mountainous areas up to 1,500 m (mainly in the South). Once common in cultivated areas but now endangered by use of chemicals. Males are brighter, have a crest from the head to the tip of the tail and are usually larger. Females only have a narrow crest along the tail. In colouring these newts appear much like the other Triturus species. Breeding takes place between April and June, after which the newts leave the water and spend the rest of the year on dry land. Hibernation often takes place in large groups. Neoteny is quite common in the Smooth Newt, with some populations never leaving the water. Description: fronto-squamosal arch ligamentous; frontals with distinct orbital processes. Palatine teeth in two series, parallel, and in contact in their anterior half, diverging behind, thus forming a A-shaped figure; these series commencing on a line with the choanae. Tongue small, elliptical, free along the sides. Head longer than broad, its length contained about thrice in the length of the body, the greatest width at posterior corners of eyes; three distinct longitudinal grooves on the head; snout rather elongate, rounded or suboonioal and truncate; labial lobes well developed during the breeding-season, most so in the female. Body rounded; breeding male with an elevated, festooned dorsal crest, commencing on the occiput and not interrupted on the pelvic region; female with a dorsal ridge, or very low, straight-edged crest confluent with the caudal. Limbs moderate fingers and toes depressed, shorter in the female; during the breeding-season the toes of the male lobate; two small carpal and tarsal tubercles, less distinct in the male. Tail a little longer than head and body, strongly compressed during the breeding-season, ending in a point, with an upper and lower crest; in the male, the latter festooned like the dorsal crest. Skin smooth, or nearly so; head with distinct series of pores; gular fold absent, or very feebly marked. Upper parts brown or olive, with darker spots; these are large and rounded in the male, small and sometimes confluent into a lateral band in the female and young; head with five longitudinal dark streaks, most distinct in the male; lower surfaces yellowish, with a median orange or reddish zone, and large round black spots in the male or small black dots in the female, the latter frequently confluent into a line along each side of the belly ; lower edge of the tail uniform orange in the female, red bordered above with blue and interrupted by vertical black spots in the male. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

L. v. vulgaris

L. v. ampelensis

L. v. meridionalis

Smaller than the nominate subspecies; the body of the male subquadrangular; dorsal crest lower; tail generally ending in a filament; spots smaller. Its physiognomy is similar to that of M. palmata.