Scientific name
Lissotriton (Triturus) montandoni
Popular name
Carpathian newt
Description
The Carpathian newt is an endemic species for the Carpathian Mountains, but has also been relocated to several areas in Western Europe, where isolated populations persist. Its color is mainly green, with darker stripes on the head and along the body. The male has a slightly tall dorsal crest and 2 lateral edges (in cross section, it has a square body shape).
The Carpathian newt prefers permanent or temporary ponds, clean and cold streams, flowing waters, swamps, lakes etc., at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2000 m. The species is not very demanding when it comes to water quality (it tolerates well including polluted waters), but it is very little heat resistant. Adults get out of the water early on (in June), then they can be found hidden under logs or stones, near the breeding place. They prefer forested areas and they hibernate on land, rarely in water.
Reproduction
For the Carpathian newt, the reproduction period begins in April-May and culminates in the aquatic nuptial dance and the internal spermatophore fertilization, then the eggs are laid on submerged vegetation between May and June.
Critical period
The species is particularly vulnerable during mating period and until larval metamorphosis (March-July), when changes in the aquatic environment can influence the survival of the new generations of newts (drainage of the ponds, imbalance of the hydrological regime of swamps, due to anthropic works).
Habitat
The Carpathian newt can be found in high humidity and relatively shaded habitats from coniferous, mixed or deciduous forests (beech, alder, spruce, even oak), but also at the end of these forests, in riversides or meadows (including the subalpine region). Reproduction and larval development occur in almost all aquatic habitats available in the Carpathians, both temporary and permanent: lakes, ponds, swamps and peatlands, springs, streams, ponds adjacent to the rivers, puddles in ditches and in tractors traces on secondary roads.
Distribution
The species is endemic for the Carpathians, being native in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. In our country, it has a compact distribution in the Eastern Carpathians, but descends to the south and west in the Southern Carpathians, being reported in Bucegi and Făgăraș mountains.
