The Alpine Newt Triturus alpestris (Laurenti, 1768) in Essex
Jon Cranfield 14 Wiltshire Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, S053 3EZ mobile: 07769
644354email jonathan.cranfield@btopenworld.com
The Alpine newt Triturus alpestris comes from Central and Southern Europe. The newt
lives, naturally, in France (North-East), Poland, Romania, Ukraine (West) Denmark
(southern), Italy (North), the Balkans and Greece (Griffiths 1996).
The species is medium sized measuring up to 10cm; females slightly larger. Both are
distinctively marked. Its background colour is dark grey, blackish or bluish, with a bright
orange or reddish belly and throat. The belly is unspotted; there may be a few dark spots
on the throat.
The male has a crest during the breeding season which is low; smooth edged which runs
along the back and on to the tail. The crest is whitish with regular dark spots which gives
it a zig zag or checkerboard effect along the back. Females are slightly drabber than
males, may have a green/blue mottled appearance. There is a yellow stripe running
along the lower edge of the tail which is absent in the male. The skin of the newt is
slightly granular in texture. Juveniles are less brightly coloured than the adults but are
otherwise the same colouration as the females (Griffiths 1996)
In the UK the species is known in several places, as a result of introduction, including
Surrey, Southeast London, Sunderland, Shropshire, Birmingham, and Brighton and even
in Central Scotland (Beebee & Griffiths 2000).
Recently I have discovered this species within a small pond in Willow Park Basildon
(TQ6987). While torch surveying for Great Crested Newts two male alpine newts were
seen amongst Crassula helmsii an invasive 'alien' plant.
I wondered where these newts had come from. At first I thought that they would have
been dumped as 'unwanted' pets but I have recently learned about a colony of these
newts in the Kingswood area of Basildon. The site is not too far away from the Reserve
and so 'natural colonisation' from a former introduction site could be a possible route to
this pond. A similar situation can be seen in other 'non native' species in Essex such as
European Green Frogs. The Marsh Frog population in Hadleigh Castle Country Park is
reported to be introduced from Romsey Marsh in Kent and now this population is
spreading northwards (Cranfield 2002, Scott 2002).
I believe that Field Club members have visited this Kingswood site in April 1998 to 'see
exotic frogs, toads and newts' (See what's on in Essex Field Club Newsletter 24 Feb
1998). I was invited by the owner to see the array of 'exotic' amphibians, living within
a small garden in Kingswood. It was explained to me that the Alpine newt population
was estimated to consist of around 300+ animals.
Natural colonisation from existing sites in the UK show that the newt is normally confined
within garden and parkland ponds (Beebee & Griffiths 2000). Within a garden pond in
Shropshire alpine newts were still surviving 23 years after the initial introduction of
seven individuals. Ponds up to 70 metres from this introduction site also contained
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 40, January 2003