Triturus is a genus of European and West Asian newts, with two species of marbled newts and seven species of crested newts. They live and breed in vegetation-rich aquatic habitats for two to six months and usually spend the rest of the year in shady, well-protected land habitats close to their breeding sites. Males court females with a ritualised display, ending in the deposition of a spermatophore that is picked up by the female. After fertilisation, a female lays 200–400 eggs, folding them individually into leaves of water plants. Larvae develop over two to four months before metamorphosing into land-dwelling juveniles. The alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris), banded newts (Ommatotriton), and small-bodied newts (Lissotriton) are now placed in other genera, leaving the European brook newts (Calotriton) as Triturus's closest relatives. Although not immediately threatened, crested and marbled newts suffer from population declines, caused mainly by habitat loss and fragmentation. All species are legally protected in Europe, and some of their habitats have been designated as special nature reserves.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triturus> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1522: The Victoria (replica pictured) returned to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, with Basque explorer Juan Sebastián Elcano and 17 other survivors of Ferdinand Magellan's 265-man expedition, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(ship)> 1781: American Revolutionary War: General Benedict Arnold led British forces to victory in the Battle of Groton Heights. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Groton_Heights> 1946: United States Secretary of State James F. Byrnes announced that the US would follow a policy of economic reconstruction in postwar Germany. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restatement_of_Policy_on_Germany> 1966: South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the "architect of apartheid", was stabbed to death by Dimitri Tsafendas. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Verwoerd> 2000: The Millennium Summit, a meeting of world leaders to discuss the role of the United Nations at the turn of the 21st century, opened in New York City. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Summit> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: mimiamb: (literature, Ancient Greece, rare) A short humorous dramatic scene in verse. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mimiamb> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Liberty means, not the mere voting at elections, but the free and fearless exercise of the mental faculties, and that self-possession which springs out of well-reasoned opinions and consistent practice. --Frances Wright <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frances_Wright> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
