|
Central Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens
Status
No status assigned in Minnesota.
Description
Newts are 2 1/2 -4 inches long (Conant
and Collins, 1991). Adults may be brown or green and have
small black dots scattered about. Below they are yellow or
yellow-orange with small black dots. The eft is rust brown,
sometimes with red spots partly outlined in black. They have
black dots and bellies similar to the adults. The terrestrial
adult is dark brown above, often with no markings. The belly
is like that of the other two stages. The skin is rough in
all forms. They have four toes on the front feet and five
on the back.
Subspecies
Of the many subspecies of the eastern newt
(Notophthalmus viridescens), only one, the central newt (N.
v. louisianensis) is found in Minnesota.
Range
Records for this species are scattered
about northern and central Minnesota. There is only one record
south of the Minnesota River. There will probably be more
records from northeastern and east central parts of the state
as this is where most of the best newt habitat in the state
is found.
Habitat
Newts require small semipermanent woodland
ponds for breeding. They live in coniferous forests in the
north, and in hardwood forests in the south. They take shelter
under logs, leaves, rocks and other objects, but it does not
have to be moist under these shelters for newts to use them.
Habits
Aquatic adult newts are active in ponds
all year. Efts and terrestrial adults overwinter under logs.
Courtship and mating occur in the fall, winter, and spring.
Females sometimes lay over 100 eggs singly or in clusters
attached to vegetation in the water. The larvae hatch in late
summer and either metamorphose into efts or become aquatic
adults. The eft stage lasts from one to four years. After
this time, they become aquatic adults that are sexually mature.
Efts have rough, dry skin and may be found walking on the
forest floor on a sunny day. They are the most agile of our
salamanders on land. Efts are also toxic and foul-tasting
to most predators. If the aquatic adults find their ponds
drying up, they transform into a terrestrial adult until their
pond refills with water. Eft stages are uncommon in Minnesota,
but I have found terrestrial adults in Hennepin and Itasca
counties. Newts are not entirely restricted to small ponds,
as they have been found at depths up to 40 feet in large lakes.
Food
Newts in all stages feed on small invertebrates.
Small crustaceans, fairy shrimp, amphibian and fish eggs,
and insect larvae are important adult foods.
|
