?Smooth Newt Conservation status: Lower risk (lc)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Caudata Family: Salamandridae Genus: Lissotriton Species: L. vulgaris
Binomial name
Lissotriton vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
L. vulgaris ampelensis L. vulgaris graecus L. vulgaris kosswigi L. vulgaris lantzi L. vulgaris meridionalis L. vulgaris schmidtlerorum L. vulgaris vulgaris Image File history File links Smooth_newt. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Families Salamander is the common name applied to approximately 350 amphibian vertebrates with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails (order Caudata or Urodela). ... Genera   Chioglossa   Cynops   Echinotriton   Euproctus   Mertensiella   Neurergus   Notophthalmus   Pachytriton   Paramesotriton   Pleurodeles   Salamandra   Salamandrina   Taricha   Triturus   Tylototriton The family Salamandridae consists of true salamanders and newts. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Smooth Newt, also known as the Common Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris, formerly Triturus vulgaris) is the most common newt species of the Lissotriton genus of amphibians. It is found throughout Europe except the far north, areas of Southern France, and the Iberian peninsula [1]. The Smooth Newt can grow up to 10 cm long. There is a difference between the male and the female: the male is brown with spots, and the female is plain brown. This article is about the animal called newt. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... This region consists of the southern part of France. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ...

Life cycle of the Smooth Newt

Adult Smooth Newts emerge from hibernation on land from late February to March, and head to fresh water to breed. They favour ponds and shallow lakesides over running water. At this time both sexes of newt become more strikingly and colourfully marked, with vivid spots and orange bellies. The male also develops a wavy crest along the back and tail - the sexes are much easier to differentiate during the breeding season. Hibernation is a state of regulated hypothermia, lasting several days or weeks, that allows animals to conserve energy during the winter. ...

During courtship the male newt "displays" for his prospective mate by vibrating his tail in front of the female in a distinctive fashion. The male then deposits a sperm-containing capsule, known as a spermatophore, in front of his mate, who manoeuvres herself into a position whereby she can pick up the capsule with her cloaca - fertilization occurring inside the female. The female, thus fertilized, after a few days starts to lay eggs individually, usually under aquatic plant leaves at a rate of 7 to 12 eggs per day. Altogether a total of 400 eggs may produced over the season. In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts of certain animal species. ...

After two to three weeks (depending on water temperature) the eggs hatch to a larval form - a tadpole. For a few days the tadpoles live off the food reserves contained within their yolk sacs (left over from the egg stage). After this they start to eat freshwater plankton, and later insect larvae, molluscs et cetera (unlike frog tadpoles, newts are carnivorous throughout their life). The newt tadpoles look initially like small fish fry, but later become more similar to miniature adults, but with "feathery" external gills emerging from behind the head on either side. As the tadpoles mature they develop legs (front first), and the growth and use of their lungs is matched by a gradual shrinkage of the gills. Thus the tadpole gradually shifts from being fully aquatic to possessing a body suitable for a mostly terrestrial existence, a tadpole typically leaving the water after ten weeks. Some tadpoles however may overwinter in the larval state, only emerging from the water the following year. [2]. Smooth newts take around three years to become sexually mature, on average living for six years. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Tadpole of Littlejohns Tree Frog (Litoria littlejohni) A tadpole (also known as a pollywog or polliwog) is a larval amphibian, the juvenile form of a frog, toad, newt, salamander, or caecilian. ... Look up egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Animal environments are classified as either aquatic (water), terrestrial (land), or amphibious (water and land). ...

However, most adult and juvenile newts hibernate over winter above ground, in moist, sheltered areas, emerging in the spring.

Conservation Status

Newts are protected in Europe. There are laws prohibiting the killing, destruction, and the selling of newts. While the species is by no means endangered, IUCN lists insufficient data to make an assessment for two of the subspecies. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

The smooth newt is the only newt native to Ireland.

Sources

http://www.herpconstrust.org.uk/index.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/479.shtml

http://www.mjking.org/newts/index.html

External links