[2] Mitochondrial DNA data had already suggested that it was a separate species in a 2013 study, but the authors had preferred to await a more detailed analysis before formal species description and temporarily included it in the Balkan crested newt (Triturus ivanbureschi), which had been split from the southern crested newt (T.

Its back and sides are brown–black with darker spots; the underside is orange with black blotches whose pattern is variable among individuals.

[2] The species is endemic to northern Anatolia on the Black Sea coast, where its range extends roughly from the Bosphorus and Bursa in the west to Trabzon in the east, reaching no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland.

[2] Like other Triturus species, the Anatolian crested newt initially develops in the water, but spends most of the year in shady habitats on land as an adult.

It returns to breeding ponds every year, where males develop a conspicuous dorsal crests and court the females.