It is Europe’s largest species of newt and also the most threatened one. It needs large ponds, with submerged vegetation for protection. The species color is dark brown to black on the back and yellow with black spots on the belly, with white spots on the sides.
The sexual dimorphism of this newt consists in the male’s large dorsal crest, extending from the occipital area to the tip of the tail, missing only in the lumbar region.
