Eastern Crested Newt
Triturus karelinii
A harmless crested newt with coarse skin and a dark-spotted belly. Confirmed in western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia.
Overview
What is Eastern Crested Newt
The eastern crested newt (Triturus karelinii) is a harmless crested newt and is biologically confirmed in Georgia. It belongs to the salamander family Salamandridae. It is not dangerous to people: it has no venomous bite. Adults usually reach about 15–18 cm; separate Georgian measurements are not given on this page. In the field this is Georgia’s largest newt — coarse-skinned, with a dark-spotted belly — not the smooth newt and not the banded newt. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as a member of the T. cristatus complex. English names include eastern crested newt, southern crested newt and Karelin’s crested newt. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Last updated
Gallery
Eastern Crested Newt in photos
Photo: Nikita Tiunov · iNaturalist
Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Georgia ·
Photo: Parham Beyhaghi · iNaturalist
Gonbad-e Kavus, Golestan, Iran ·
Photo: Parham Beyhaghi · iNaturalist
Iran ·
Identification
How to identify Eastern Crested Newt
Georgia’s largest newt. The skin is coarse. The belly is yellow or orange with large dark spots. Breeding males grow a high, jagged crest. Do not confuse it with the smooth newt or the banded newt.
The body is stocky, not slender. The skin is coarse and granular. In water the tail is flattened from side to side. Adults usually reach about 15–18 cm in total length; females are often slightly larger than males. Separate Georgian measurements are not given on this page.
The back is brown to dull grey with darker patches. The belly and throat are yellow or orange with black spots; the spots may merge so that part of the belly looks black. There is no pale flank stripe. Females often have a narrow yellow line along the middle of the back.
In the breeding season the male grows a high, jagged crest from the back onto the tail. The gap in the crest at the tail base is often weak or absent — unlike the northern crested newt (T. cristatus), which does not occur in Georgia. Females lack this crest.
Lantz’s smooth newt (Lissotriton lantzi) is smaller (usually about 7–11 cm), with smoother skin and only a low male crest. The northern banded newt (Ommatotriton ophryticus) has a pale flank stripe and an unspotted belly. The Caucasian salamander (Mertensiella caucasica) has yellow spots, a round tail in cross-section, and lives by streams, not ponds.
Older books listed Triturus cristatus karelinii. Today T. karelinii is a separate species of Crimea, the Caucasus and the southern Caspian. Balkan and western Anatolian crested newts are T. ivanbureschi and T. anatolicus and do not occur in Georgia. In the field they are almost impossible to tell apart by looks; in Georgia geography is enough.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
In Georgia this is a forest-belt newt of ponds, small lakes and slow water. When breeding, look for it in fish-free or lightly stocked ponds, small lakes, slow stream pools and sometimes ditches. On land it hides under stones, logs and leaf litter. It tolerates drier ground better than Georgia’s other newts; a 1996 review calls it a rather xerophilous form. In the humid forests of western Transcaucasia it is rare and populations are usually small. The same review treats it as absent from the extreme south-west of Georgia. The Batumi record (Djanashvili 1956) is regarded as erroneous. The 2026 checklist states: throughout western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia. Barcoded specimens are from Gogni and Tskaltubo (Imereti). The checklist figure is Tkibuli. Distribution confidence in the checklist is medium. This atlas map follows named literature sites and does not mean the species is equally present today in every highlighted region. Tarkhnishvili 1996 lists 33 Georgian localities, including Poti, Senaki, Sukhumi, Gagra, Pskhu, Ritsa, Kutaisi, Ajameti, Kobuleti, Baniskhevi, Borjomi, Bakuriani, Didi Mitarbi, Surami, the Tana valley, the Liakhvi reserve, Ertatsminda, Pitsesi Lake (Kaspi), Betania, Akhaldaba Lake near Tbilisi, Tsodoreti, Saguramo, Satovle, Chili-Tba, Chiantba near Telavi, Batsara, Lagodekhi, Lake Duruji and Bursa valley (Kvareli). Also named are Sakochavi Lakes, the village Tba, Kodiani and Ajara (?). This page has no separately named site for Guria or Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti. The map marks Abkhazia, Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti, Adjara, Imereti, Samtskhe — Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Kakheti and Tbilisi. At species level the elevation reaches about 2,100 m in the southern Caucasus. A separate elevation table for every Georgian population is not given here. Under the current species concept the wider range is Crimea, the Caucasus and the southern Caspian shore. The type locality is in Iran (Gulf of Gorgan), not Georgia.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. At species level, aquatic adults take water invertebrates — snails, crustaceans, insect larvae — and sometimes terrestrial invertebrates that have fallen in. On land they take worms, slugs, spiders and insects. Larvae start on tiny crustaceans, then take larger prey. Do not treat this as a measured menu for every Georgian population.
Behavior
It is in water when breeding; at other times it is often on land. Activity is mainly at night. A full calendar for every Georgian population is not given here. At species level, hibernation usually runs from September–October to March, on land or sometimes in deep still water. Breeding is March–May at low elevation and May–July in the highlands; after a warm winter it may start in February. Eggs are wrapped singly in water plants; species-level clutches of about 100–250 eggs are described. In Georgia, AmphibiaWeb places the peak of larval hatching from late May through June. Metamorphosis is August–October; some larvae overwinter in water. If you find one, watch it and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up or move it between water bodies — that spreads fungal disease. Skin glands produce a defensive secretion; the orange, spotted belly is a warning colour. Wash your hands after any contact. It is not a medical risk to people.
Conservation
The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. IUCN (2023) lists it as Least Concern; that assessment covers today’s T. karelinii (Crimea, Caucasus, Caspian), not the Balkan T. ivanbureschi. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List; the only amphibians there are the Caucasian salamander and the Syrian spadefoot. AmphibiaWeb notes decline on the Black Sea coast and a severe status at some western Caucasus sites; that is a regional remark, not Georgia’s official category. Main threats are pond loss or infilling, fish stocking, forest cutting and pollution. Do not collect it.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Eastern Crested Newt.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. DNA barcodes are from Gogni and Tskaltubo; the checklist figure is Tkibuli.
At forest-belt ponds, small lakes and slow water — in western Georgia and the wooded belt of the east. It is scarce in humid western forest. The map marks several regions, not only Imereti. Not every old site has been rechecked.
No. It has no venom and is harmless to people. Skin secretion can irritate. Do not pick it up. Wash your hands after contact.
A large, coarse-skinned newt with a yellow or orange belly marked with dark spots. It has no pale flank stripe. Breeding males have a high, jagged crest. The smooth newt is smaller; the banded newt has a flank stripe and an unspotted belly.
Adults usually reach about 15–18 cm in total length. Separate Georgian measurements are not given on this page. It is Georgia’s largest newt.
In water — aquatic invertebrates. On land — worms, slugs, spiders and insects. There is no Georgian diet study on this page.
It is in water when breeding, mostly in spring; at other times it is often on land and active at night. In Georgia the peak of larval hatching is described from late May through June. The season is later at high elevation.
Watch it and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up or move it to another pond. It is not a medical risk to people.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tarkhnishvili 1996 — The distribution and ecology of the amphibians of Georgia and the Caucasus
- Tarkhnishvili & Gokhelashvili 1999 — The amphibians of the Caucasus
- Wielstra et al. 2013 — Revised taxonomy of the Triturus karelinii group
- Wielstra & Arntzen 2021 — Genetic homogeneity across T. karelinii range sections
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2023 — Triturus karelinii
- AmphibiaWeb — Triturus karelinii
- Frost — Amphibian Species of the World (Triturus karelinii)
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
