Anatolian crested newt

rdf:langString Anatolian crested newt

rdf:langString Anatolian crested newt

rdf:langString left

rdf:langString Wielstra & Arntzen 2016

rdf:langString Position of the Anatolian crested newt in the phylogenetic tree of genus Triturus, as suggested by analysis of complete mitochondrial DNA.

rdf:langString Triturus

rdf:langString Female and male

rdf:langString Triturus_anatolicus_distribution.svg

rdf:langString anatolicus

rdf:langString The Anatolian crested newt (Triturus anatolicus) is a newt species endemic to northern Anatolia in Turkey. Before its description in 2016, it was first considered to belong to the southern crested newt (Triturus karelinii) and then the Balkan crested newt (Triturus ivanbureschi). The three species form a complex of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Genetic data demonstrated the Anatolian crested newt to be distinct from the other two species, although it hybridises with the Balkan crested newt at its western range end. With its two closely related species, the Anatolian crested newt is more stockily built than the other crested newts, and reaches 10–13 cm in length. It is semiaquatic, spending most of the year on land and only returning to water for breeding. The species does not seem to be immediately threatened, although a formal IUCN Red List assessment has not been conducted yet.