Carpathian Newt

About the Carpathian Newt

The Carpathian newt, or Montandon's newt, (Lissotriton montandoni) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The total length of adults of this species is around 10 cm. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and ponds. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The Carpathian newt grows to a total length of about 10 cm (4 in), females in general being larger than males. The skin is granulated in terrestrial individuals but smoother in more aquatic ones. There are three grooves on the head and the body is very square in cross section. The upper surface is yellowish-brown or olive-brown, copiously mottled with fine dark spots. The underparts are yellow or orange, often with small black spots at the sides. The lower part of the tail is white or orange with large black spots. In the breeding season, males have a slight crest on the tail and a filament on the tip, but only a slightly-raised ridge along the back.

The Carpathian newt is native to the... Wikipedia →