Genetic research identifies five distinct species of Alpine newts in Europe

Biologists from Leiden University and Naturalis discovered that the Alpine newt, an amphibian previously thought to be a single species across Europe, actually consists of five distinct species.

The researchers used genetic testing to differentiate the animals, which look nearly identical to the human eye. They found that three of these species live in the Netherlands, where they also coexist with animals from Italy and the Balkans.

These genetic differences are so large that mating between different species results in offspring with lower survival rates. The study also identified a previously unknown species on the Vlasina Plateau, a region on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria. Scientists gave this new species the name Mesotriton similis, or the Vlasina Alpine newt. This species is currently the rarest Alpine newt in Europe and faces threats from habitat degradation, pollution, and the presence of fish.

Experts have yet to decide if the group should be classified under the genus Mesotriton or Ichthyosaura.