Fig. 23.–Triton cristatus. 1, Female; 2, male in nuptial dress. × ⅔.
Propagation takes place in April. The newly hatched larvae are yellowish-green, with two black dorsal bands, and with a whitish edge to the tail-fin. By the middle of July they are about 5 cm. long, and the white-margined tail now ends in a thread 1 cm. in length. The general colour above is light olive-brown, dotted with black; the flanks and belly have a golden shimmer.
The Crested Newt has a wide distribution, extending from England and Scotland through Central Europe into Transcaucasia; the northern limits are Scotland and Southern Sweden. Although found in Greece and Lombardy, it does not occur in the Iberian peninsula nor in the South of France, where it is represented by the next following species.
Triton marmoratus.–The Marbled Newt is of the same size as the Crested Newt. Its ground colour is grass-green above, brown below, with numerous large and small irregularly shaped marbling patches, spots and dots of black. The crest of the neck and trunk is entire, not serrated, adorned with dark vertical bands, and separated from the high dorsal fin of the tail by a deep indenture or gap. The female has an orange line, slightly sunk in, instead of the crest. This newt is confined to France and the Iberian peninsula. In the North of Portugal and in Galicia it is frequently seen in little streams and ponds during the months of March and April. The rest of the year it spends on land. In France occur hybrids of this species and T. cristatus. They have been described as T. blasii.
T. alpestris.–The Alpine Newt is easily distinguished by the rich orange colour of its under parts, which are unspotted, excepting a few dark specks across the throat, below the gular fold. Specimens with many ventro-lateral black spots are exceedingly rare. All the upper parts are dark, but vary individually. The prettiest specimens are dark purplish grey, with black marblings; others incline more towards brown ground-tones, the blackish markings then appearing more prominent. The sides are often stippled with tiny whitish dots. The iris is golden yellow.–The nuptial male has a low, not serrated crest, which extends uninterruptedly from the nape into the dorsal fin of the tail. The crest is pale yellow, with black vertical bands and spots. The ground-colour of the upper parts inclines to blue, especially on the sides. The lower fin of the tail assumes an irregular band of bluish-white confluent patches.
This newt is rather small, females rarely exceeding 100 mm. or 4 inches in length. Its home is chiefly the hilly and mountainous parts of Central Europe, from Holland to Lombardy, Austria-Hungary, and Greece. Although it ascends the Alps to between 6000 and 7000 feet, it is also found in the Netherlands, but not in the North German plain.
T. vulgaris (s. taeniatus, s. punctatus).–The Common or Spotted Newt usually reaches 3 inches (7-8 cm.) in length. Boulenger's record-specimen measured 104 mm. It is characterised by the yellow, partly orange under surface, which is always spotted with black. The upper parts are olive-green or brown, inclining to white on the flanks; the black spots of the back, sides, and especially of the tail, are arranged in more or less distinct lines, giving a somewhat banded appearance to some females.–The breeding dress of the male shows a non-serrated, but "festooned" high and very wavy crest, which extends from the neck without interruption into the likewise wavy tail-fin. The tail is adorned with a lateral, glittering blue stripe, interrupted by vertical dark spots. The larvae are marked by a series of yellow dots, which extend over the lateral line and the tail, which latter temporarily possesses a terminal filament like that of the larvae of T. cristatus.
The distribution of the Spotted Newt is the same as that of T. cristatus, namely Europe with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula, and Western Asia.
T. palmatus s. helveticus.–This is the smallest of all the European newts, rarely reaching more than 3 inches in length. It is distinguished by several specific characters. The tail ends in a thread which is in some males 10 mm. in length, but is only just indicated in the female. The breeding male develops a cutaneous fold along each side of the back, and a low, entire, vertebral crest; the toes are fully webbed. The under parts are pale yellow, inclining to orange towards the middle of the belly, and with a few blackish dots. The lower caudal crest has its edge blue in the male, orange in the female. The general colour of the smooth skin is olive-brown above, with numerous dark spots, which are arranged in more longitudinal streaks on the head.