A reconstruction is presented of the phylogenetic relationships withing Triturus. Two different data sets are used. Protein electrophoretic data were scored for 19 presumptive gene loci in nine species (Rafinski & Arntzen, 1987) and a set of 16 behaviour characters from the courtship of Triturus was scored for the same nine species. When these are analysed in concernt, a single, fully resolved and robust solution is found. Consequently, two subgenera are recognized: Triturus and Palaeotriton, the former including all te medium‐ and large‐bodied species: T. alpestris, T. vittatus, T. marmoratus, T. cristatus and its three former subspecies (T. carnifex, T. dobrogicus and T. Karelini); the latter comprising the small‐bodied species: T. bascai, T. italicus, T. helveticus, T. vulgaris and T. montandoni. Within the subgenus Triturus, T. alpestris and T. vittatus are sister taxa to the remaining members of the subgenus. Similarly, T. boscai and T. italicus are a monophyletic group, sister to T. vulgaris, T. helveticus and T. montandoni. Alternative solutions may be found on the basis of a quantitative analysis of the behavioural characters employed in this study. An alternative phylogenetic tree is included as an example.

The keeping of exotic pets is currently under debate and governments of several countries are increasingly exploring the regulation, or even the banning, of exotic pet keeping. Major concerns are issues of public health and safety, animal welfare and biodiversity conservation. The keeping of reptiles and amphibians in captivity encompasses all the potential issues identified with keeping exotic pets, and many of those relating to traditional domestic pets. Within the context of risks posed by pets in general, the authors argue for the responsible and sustainable keeping of reptile and amphibian pets by private persons, based on scientific evidence and on the authors' own expertise (veterinary medicine, captive husbandry, conservation biology).

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The dorsal crest of newts (Salamandridae) is a novel, phenotypically plastic, sexually selected trait that may evolve in association with complex courtship behaviours. We estimated a near‐comprehensive, time‐calibrated phylogeny for salamandrids and analysed the evolution of their crests and display behaviour. Different models give conflicting reconstructions for crest evolution, showing that likelihood can estimate incorrect ancestral states with strong statistical support. The best‐fitting model suggests that crests evolved once and were lost repeatedly, supporting the hypothesis that sexually selected traits may be frequently lost. We demonstrate the correlated evolution of crests and courtship behaviour and show that species with larger numbers of crest‐related traits have larger repertoires of behaviours. We also show that phenotypically plastic morphological traits can be maintained over long macroevolutionary timescales (∼25–48 Myr). Finally, we use salamandrids to address how novel structures may arise, and support a model involving the expansion and subdivision of pre‐existing structures.

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