Help with identification

[cynops]

Anybody here knows a bit about crested newts?
I found these animals last summer and I want to find out which species it is, carnifex or karelinii. I have the locality as well but if you're really into these animals you should be able to tell the difference without knowing the locality.

(Message edited by mike_g on February 28, 2005)

 

[francesco]

looks like triturus carnifex

 

[william]

i would say carnifex, because of the line on the back

 

[francesco]

female

 

[cynops]

Thanks! I had a lot of difficulty because I found them in Croatia kind of on the border between the two species. And I never knew exactly what I was dealing with

 

[rubén]

Thanks to you for showing the photographs. My advice is; read this article about the taxonomic status of the T. cristatus group in the Balkans region, it's really interesting.

http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/ctz/vol68/nr03/a04

 

[jennifer]

That's a great article, Ruben. Thanks for the link. I added it to the caresheet on CC.

These newts are very nice - colorful compared to most cresteds.

 

[mike]

Hi Cyanurus,
It's good to have your input on this forum, but please follow the rules and give your real name on your profile.

 

[sergé]

Dear..
don't forget that they are a species group; so animals can show intermediate characters when they meet and perhaps form hybrids. They look very much like carnifex, but the high tail fin in a female is typical for karelinii. But...i don't think these are females; they could well be juvenile males (because of the brilliant white stripe on the tail and the small ridge of crest that is developing on their backs....). By the way...don't think the will get yellow crests...but in juvenile males the top of the crest can have a fine yellow.

 

[micha]

My real name is Micha van de Weg by the way, I just changed it on my profile I hope it works.

Ruben, thanks for the article it is an answer to a lot of questions I had! The books I own on this subject are just not clear about the cristatus-group in the Balkan.

Serge, nice to meet you again, I've read several articles you wrote on european herpetofauna(lacerta).
Perhaps, you can remember owning a Varanus exanthematicus once? I was the guy that bought it from you, must be about 10 years ago.

 

[micha]

Here's an other one

 

[micha]

And an other one