The Alpine newt (Triturus alpestris or Mesotriton alpestris) is only slightly larger than the common newt. Adults from snout to tail tip measure 6.5 to 11 cm. Females are larger than males. The tail is laterally flattened, unlike newts, the parotoid glands behind the ears are indistinct. The belly and throat of the Alpine newt are uniformly yellow-orange to orange-red in color, the ventral side is usually without dark spots! But here and there individuals are found with a throat decorated with black dots. The marbled dorsal side is dark gray, dark blue or almost black. Only in males, across the cheeks and along the flanks up to the hind legs, there runs a distinctly dark-spotted whitish stripe. This speckled belt on the sides, during the mating season, when the males don bridal colors, separates the orange belly from the light blue belt. For the males' bridal attire, a low yellow dorsal crest sprinkled with black spots is also characteristic. Females have a similar pattern, but colors are less pronounced than the males.
In Slovenia the Alpine newt is widespread, but avoids the lowest areas. In Slovenian Istria, in the Karst, along the sea and on the lowland plains along the Drava, Mura and Sava rivers and on the Ljubljana Marsh, we will search in vain for it. However, among our newts it lives highest above the sea and has been observed up to 2000 m above sea level. Its habitat consists of small bodies of cold water with little aquatic vegetation. It hunts aquatic invertebrates that hardly escape it, as it is a good swimmer.
The Alpine newt overwinters on land, hidden under rotten wood, stones, moss or leaves, and early in spring returns to the water. The area of reproduction, the breeding site, usually comes in April and stays there until July, but the mating season varies considerably and is tied mainly to the ambient temperature. The female lays about 150 eggs within a few weeks after fertilization, each of them wrapped in a leaf of aquatic vegetation; if there are none, she simply lays the eggs on the bottom of the water body.
In some individuals of the Alpine newt a similar phenomenon to neoteny occurs. Neotenic individuals reach sexual maturity, as their sexual organs develop normally, yet they still have gills and appear larval, since the development of other organs proceeds more slowly.
In Slovenia the species is protected and listed as Vulnerable (V) on the Red List!
