Classification
Order: caudata
Family: salamandridae
Genus: ommatotriton
Species: ommatotriton vittatus
Habitat
These newts are common in Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Russia where they can be found in Krasnodar region. They live in forests, grasslands, gardens, rivers, lakes and marshes. During the mating season there can be 20-30 specimens in one pond or lake. Land-dwelling newts occur three times more seldom.
Outward appearance
Adult newts reach the length of 8-9 cm; the tail measures for further 7-8 cm.
The back and the sides of the southern banded newt are brown or dark olive color with dark spots. On the sides of the tail these spots form stretched lines. There also silver colored lines on both sides of the tail. The belly is yellow or orange, sometimes with black spots.
Females are less vividly colored, they are normally unicolored with dark spots.
During the mating season males develop a high spinal ridge that starts near the eys and goes along the back.
Character
The southern banded newt is a terrestrial and secretive species. People don’t know much about its lifestyle in the wild. They are nocturnal. Newts are comfortable both in the water and on the land. On the ground they tend to hide under the stones, tree bark or fallen leaves.
They hibernate from October to April in burrows or in stubs. In spring they get out, eat a lot and warm themselves in the sun. The diet of the southern banded newt is very varied: they catch spiders, worms and other insects on the ground and they hunt tadpoles, smaller newts and crustaceans in water.
Maintenance care
These newts need a horizontal aquatic tank at least 40x25x20 cm for 1-2 specimens. If the tank is kept at room temperature, no extra heating is necessary. You can put driftwood or a piece of bark on the water surface.
Feeding
In captivity southern banded newts are fed with crickets, cockroaches, earthworms, mealworms, crustaceans, bloodworm, snails etc.
Diseases
This is a hardy species easy to care for. Under good care they live up to 15 years.
Breeding
Southern banded newts become sexually mature at the age of 3-5 years.
During mating season (usually in late spring), males will claim a small piece of territory underwater as their own. Females, who normally live on land with non-breeding males, venture into the water only when ready to find a mate. If a female approaches a male he will try and woo her by oscillating his tails back and forth, bobbing his head, arching his back, and intensely nudge or even bite her. Normally breeding takes place when the water temperature reaches 9 degrees. Males deposit spermatophores and females get them into their cloacaes. Then females lay up to 100 eggs on the leaves of aquatic plants.
