The Ecology of the Eggs and Larvae of the Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris (Linn.))

Abstract

Triturus is a European genus of the family Salamandridae, and includes those urodele amphibians which are usually called newts rather than salamanders. It is related to the Asian Sinops and to the North American Notophthalmus. The genus has eight species, of which the smooth newt Triturus vulgaris is the most abundant and widespread. The nominate subspecies, T. vulgaris vulgaris, is found throughout most of continental Europe, and is the only form in Britain. The appearance and distribution of the various other subspecies are described by Steward (1969). Like other members of the genus, T. vulgaris is a small carnivorous poikilotherm which returns to the water to breed and which has an aquatic larva. It is only rarely found in running water, almost invariably breeding in small ponds. There is no satisfactory account of the ecology of the smooth newt in the literature; summaries of the few observations that have been made are given by Smith (1951) and by Gislen & Kauri (1970), but they amount to little more than an elementary natural history. More recently, work has been done on the breeding behaviour (Halliday 1972) and on food and parasites (Avery 1968, 1971), but no studies comparable to those of certain North American salamanders (e.g. Organ 1961; Tilley 1973) have appeared. The present paper attempts to sketch the principal events in egg and larval life; it includes a detailed account of the survival curves of eggs and larvae, which have not previously been described for any similar vertebrate. It is hoped that a later paper will deal with the ecology of the metamorphosed newt.