Mystery surrounds arrival of newt species in West Cork

The smooth newt, known as Lissotriton vulgaris, is Ireland’s only native species of newt. Its British cousin, Lissotriton helveticus, has never been recorded in the wild in Ireland before — until now.

The rare discovery was made by Rob Gandola, a reptile and amphibians expert and a member of the Herpetological Society of Ireland, during a series of biodiversity week events which were organised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at locations across the country.

Mr Gandola spotted the palmate newt during an evening search by torchlight.

To the casual observer, it may have looked like just another smooth newt, but not to Mr Gandola, who knew immediately he had spotted something very rare.

Follow-up searches revealed a total of nine individual palmate newts — both male and female — so it is likely that many more will occur in the vicinity.

It is rare that new vertebrates are found in Ireland and this discovery highlights the value of survey work at a range of sites, said Clare Heardman, an ecologist with the NPWS based at Glengarrif Woods Nature Reserve.

“How it arrived in West Cork is a mystery, which is yet to be solved,” she said.

“It may have been through the introduction of pets being released into the wild, it may have been hiding in the roots of plants which were imported, or it may have been hanging out here all along and was just never recorded in the wild. It is hoped that DNA tests will reveal its origins.” 

Meanwhile, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has reported a ninth basking shark stranding this year — the latest incident was recorded at Baltard in Co Clare on Monday.

The shark, which measured some 6.3 metres in length, was found on the shore entangled in lobster pot rope.