126 URODELA 



CHAP. 



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 Trans- 

 caucasia ; 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. Hasii. 



T. alpestris. The Alpine Newt is easily distinguished by the 

 rich orange colour of its under parts, which are unspotted, except- 

 ing 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, 



