SALAMANDRINAE 1 2 



Austria-Hungary, and Greece. Although it ascends the Alps to 

 between 6000 and 7000 feet, it is also found in the Nether- 

 lands, but not in the North German plain. 



T. vulgaris (s. taeniatus, s. punctahts). — 1'he Common or 

 Spotted Newt usually reaches 3 inches (7-8 cm.) in length. 

 ])Oulenger's record-specimen measured 104 mm. It is charac- 

 terised by the }'ellow, partly orange inider surface, which is 

 always spotted with black. The u])per ])arts are olive-green or 

 brown, inclining to white on the tlanks ; 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. crista tus. 



The distribution of the Spotted Newt is the same as that of 

 T. cristaUis, namely Europe, with the exception of tlie lljerian 

 Peninsula and Western Asia. 



T. palmatus s. helveticus. — This is the smallest of all tlie 

 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 nuddle of the belly, and 

 with a few blackish dots. The lower caudal crest has its edge 

 l)lue in the male, orange in the female. The general colour 

 of the smooth skin is olive-brown above, with ninnerous dark 

 spots, which are arranged in more longitudinal streaks on the 

 head. 



The Webbed Newt is a native of Western middle Europe, 

 ranging from Great Britain and Northern Spain to Switzerlantl 

 and Western Germany. 



Closely allied to the last species are T. hosad of Spain 

 and Portugal, 7'. italicus, T. montadoni of Moldavia, and the 



