Danube crested newt

Danube crested newt ( Triturus dobrogicus )

The Danube crested newt ( Triturus dobrogicus ) is a salamander of the family of Real salamander. It belongs to the genus Triturus species and group of crested newts (Triturus cristatus "super species "). Until the 1980 's, he was treated as a subspecies of the then " single " Triturus cristatus crested newt. In Germany the style but does not come, probably including in Austria.

Features

The Danube crested newt is a newt for ratios rather graceful, slender salamander. With 12-14 ( males ) or 13-16 cm (females ) overall length remains the type slightly smaller than the other crested newt species; also their limbs are relatively short. The dorsal coloration is often more brown than blackish and provided with round dark spots; Male from the Danube Delta also show a brick-red color back. As with Triturus cristatus are located at the edges roughly granulated white spotted some games. Females have sometimes an orange - yellow longitudinal line on the back. The belly is orange - red to yellow yolk and with smaller, more sharply defined dark spots patterned, which can also merge to longitudinal bands. The throat and the head area are gray to black in color and dotted with white spots.

During the mating season the males dominate from a particularly high, deeply serrated, flexible back comb. On the tail of this is deducted from the skin seams of the rudder tail, but not always as clear as in other comb newts. In the country the dress back and tail combs are re-formed.

Occurrence,

The species inhabited mainly the lowlands of the Danube. In the delta of this current can be found in Triturus dobrogicus rich weedy creeks with low flow rate. In the outskirts of Vienna, it is the most common Kammmolchart before the Alpine newt; both territories do not seem to overlap there ( T. carnifex occurs only in the western districts; T.cristatus missing here also full). The altitudinal distribution extends up to about 600 meters above sea level.

The total distribution area of ​​the Danube crested newt is relatively small. It ranges initially from Lower Austria ( approximately from the city of Krems northwest of Vienna ) on the Vienna Basin, the Burgenland and all of Hungary and parts of adjacent respectively to Hungary neighboring countries (southern Slovakia, northeastern Croatia, Vojvodina in northern Serbia) to western Romania. The break through the Danube through the Banat Mountains of the Southern Carpathians dissemination gap seems to exist. Only further east in the Romanian Wallachia and finally in the area of ​​the Danube Delta to the Ukraine to continue the occurrence, so apparently there are two more or less disjoint areas.

The Danube crested newt could be the core of the legend of the basilisk in domestic wells in the Schönlaterngasse 7 where it was described in 1212 as " snake with cockscomb and feet " - he could have immigrated to the current eastern border of the range in the climate optimum of the High Middle Ages, and previously in the Vienna area have been unknown.

Way of life

Very little is known about the life of the Danube crested newt in particular. Basically, you can probably go out of similar behaviors and claims as in the Northern Crested Newt ( qv). According to its dissemination, however, a greater need for warmth or a better adaptation to warmer climates can be assumed.

Species protection

Legal protection status / National Red List classifications (selection)

• Habitats Directive: Annex II (there are specially set up protected areas)
• Austria's Red List: EN (corresponds to high risk )

As well as:

• Federal Species Protection Ordinance ( BArtSchV ): special protection; Red List of the Federal Republic of Germany: (this type does not come here before )
• Red List of Switzerland: (this type does not come here before )