Salamandridae |  |
147 species in 22 genera
Commonly Called True Salamanders, Newts, European Salamanders
Cynops pyrrhogaster
Photo by Joachim Nerz
(Click for family gallery)Salamandrids are small to medium sized (Salamandra and Pleurodeles reach more than 200 mm) terrestrial or aquatic salamanders. Mostly distributed throughout Europe and Asia, although the distribution of Salamandra and Pleurodeles reaches North Africa, and the genera Notophthalmus and Taricha are endemic to North America. Most species have toxic skin secretions. Many Salamandrids develop dorsal body and tail fins when they return to an aquatic stage, while rough skin is characteristic of its terrestrial phase as adult newts. Lungs are present in juveniles and adults. Salamandrids achieve internal fertilization through the use of a spermatophore which the male induces the female to take up through a courtship dance.
The family is organized into three subfamilies: Salamandrininae, Salamandrinae, and Pleurodelinae. Salamandrininae is sister to the clade containing the other salamandrids and only has one genus, Salamandrina, known from the mountains of Italy. Salamandrinae species are generally slender and distributed in south and central Europe through western Asia and northern Africa. Pleurodelinae species are generally known as Newts, with a distinct terrestrial phase and equally distinct, sometimes flamboyantly so, aquatic phase when adults return to water for breeding.
News Highlight:
June 5, 2017: North American newts, Notophthalmus, form a relatively young clade that appears to be experiencing a mini-adaptive radiation (DeLisle and Rowe 2017). Derived taxa are becoming more aquatic. Males are diverging from females as a result of disruptive selection related to competition for food. This increase in sexual dimorphism is manifest in feeding-related head morphology. The authors suggest that sexual antagonism and its resolution may accompany local adaptation, environmental change and adaptive radiation, in contrast to some theoretical work suggesting that evolution of sexual dimorphism might act as a constraint.February 6, 2023: Evolutionary history and biogeographic patterns give us insight into how species respond to paleogeographic and paleoclimatic changes over a shared landscape, and these in turn can provide a guide for conservation management. In southern China, the landscape is a transitional mosaic with dramatic changes in elevation ranging from an average of 4000 m a.s.l to sea level. Yuan et al. (2022) used multi-locus genetic and environmental data from 78 sites to investigate phylogeographic patterns in the southern Chinese newt genera of Cynops, Paramesotriton, and Pachytriton. Their results showed consistency with major geological events, such as the uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau. Furthermore, variation in summer monsoons and the complex landscape of montane/submontane forest with lowland areas resulted in barriers that act as both ‘museums’ or refugia of old lineages and ‘cradles’ for new species diversification. These findings can provide a backbone for genetically informed management plans, but education and public awareness are crucial to preventing habitat disturbance and over-harvesting of vulnerable species. (Written by Ann Chang)
Written by AmphibiaWebNotable Family Characteristics
- Aquatic and terrestrial species
- Biphasic or triphasic life cycles, where larvae are fully aquatic, and may metamorphose into terrestrial juveniles and or adults. Some species return to aquatic form as adults, either seasonally for breeding or permanently
- Males court females for breeding
- Many possess highly toxic secretions from poison glands in their skin
- Fertilization is internal through a spermatophore
- Some morphological characters for the group are: 1) vomerine teeth extending posteriorly on lateral edges of vomers; 2) frontal-squamosal arch present; 3) vertebrae opisthocoelous; 4) costal grooves above the ribs are absent; 5) functional lungs are present; 6) functional eyelids are present.
- Global distribution in Europe, western Asia, Asia, northern Africa and North America
Cartography Credit: Zoe Yoo, UC Berkeley
Range maps sources: AmphibiaWeb, UC Berkeley, and IUCN RedListRelevant Reference
Vitt, L. J., and J. P. Caldwell. 2013. Herpetology. An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Fourth Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Genus Hypselotriton (2 species)
Hypselotriton huanggangensis no account no photos no sound/video Hypselotriton (Cynotriton) oolong no account no photos no sound/video
Subfamily Pleurodelinae (127 species)Genus Calotriton (2 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Calotriton arnoldi account photos no sound/video Calotriton asper account photos no sound/video
Genus Cynops (13 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Cynops (Cynops) ensicauda account photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynops) pyrrhogaster account photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynotriton) fudingensis account photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynotriton) huanggangensis no account no photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynotriton) maguae no account no photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynotriton) orientalis account photos no sound/video Cynops (Cynotriton) wolterstorffi account photos no sound/video Cynops (Hakkatriton) glaucus account photos no sound/video Cynops (Hakkatriton) jiaoren no account no photos no sound/video Cynops (Hakkatriton) orphicus no account photos no sound/video Cynops (Hypselotriton) chenggongensis no account no photos no sound/video Cynops (Hypselotriton) cyanurus account photos no sound/video Cynops (Hypselotriton) yunnanensis no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Echinotriton (4 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Echinotriton andersoni account photos no sound/video Echinotriton chinhaiensis account photos no sound/video Echinotriton maxiquadratus account photos no sound/video Echinotriton (Echinotriton) raffaellii no account photos no sound/video
Genus Euproctus (2 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Euproctus montanus account photos no sound/video Euproctus platycephalus account photos no sound/video
Genus Ichthyosaura (1 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Ichthyosaura alpestris account photos no sound/video
Genus Laotriton (1 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Laotriton laoensis account photos no sound/video
Genus Lissotriton (10 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Lissotriton graecus no account photos no sound/video Lissotriton kosswigi no account photos no sound/video Lissotriton lantzi no account photos no sound/video Lissotriton maltzani no account photos no sound/video Lissotriton schmidtleri no account photos no sound/video Lissotriton (Lissotriton) helveticus account photos no sound/video Lissotriton (Lissotriton) italicus account photos no sound/video Lissotriton (Lissotriton) montandoni account photos no sound/video Lissotriton (Lissotriton) vulgaris account photos no sound/video Lissotriton (Meinus) boscai account photos no sound/video
Genus Neurergus (5 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Neurergus (Musergus) barani no account no photos no sound/video Neurergus (Musergus) strauchii account photos no sound/video Neurergus (Neurergus) crocatus account photos no sound/video Neurergus (Neurergus) derjugini account photos no sound/video Neurergus (Neurergus) kaiseri account photos no sound/video
Genus Notophthalmus (3 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Notophthalmus (Notophthalmus) perstriatus account photos no sound/video Notophthalmus (Notophthalmus) viridescens account photos no sound/video Notophthalmus (Rafinus) meridionalis account photos no sound/video
Genus Ommatotriton (3 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Ommatotriton nesterovi no account photos no sound/video Ommatotriton ophryticus account photos no sound/video Ommatotriton vittatus no account photos no sound/video
Genus Pachytriton (10 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Pachytriton airobranchiatus account no photos no sound/video Pachytriton archospotus no account no photos no sound/video Pachytriton brevipes account photos no sound/video Pachytriton changi no account photos no sound/video Pachytriton feii account no photos no sound/video Pachytriton granulosus account no photos no sound/video Pachytriton inexpectatus account photos no sound/video Pachytriton moi account photos no sound/video Pachytriton wuguanfui no account no photos no sound/video Pachytriton xanthospilos account photos no sound/video
Genus Paramesotriton (15 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Genus Pleurodeles (3 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Pleurodeles nebulosus account photos no sound/video Pleurodeles poireti account photos no sound/video Pleurodeles waltl account photos no sound/video
Genus Taricha (4 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Taricha (Taricha) granulosa account photos no sound/video Taricha (Taricha) sierrae account photos no sound/video Taricha (Taricha) torosa account photos no sound/video Taricha (Twittya) rivularis account photos no sound/video
Genus Triturus (10 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Triturus anatolicus account photos no sound/video Triturus rudolfi no account no photos no sound/video Triturus (Pyronicia) marmoratus account photos no sound/video Triturus (Pyronicia) pygmaeus no account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) carnifex account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) cristatus account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) dobrogicus account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) ivanbureschi account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) karelinii account photos no sound/video Triturus (Triturus) macedonicus no account photos no sound/video
Genus Tylototriton (41 species) [subfamily Pleurodelinae]
Subfamily Salamandrinae (16 species)Genus Chioglossa (1 species) [subfamily Salamandrinae]
Chioglossa lusitanica account photos no sound/video
Genus Lyciasalamandra (7 species) [subfamily Salamandrinae]
Lyciasalamandra antalyana account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra atifi account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra billae account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra fazilae account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra flavimembris account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra helverseni account photos no sound/video Lyciasalamandra luschani account photos no sound/video
Genus Mertensiella (2 species) [subfamily Salamandrinae]
Mertensiella caucasica account photos no sound/video Mertensiella djanaschvilii no account no photos no sound/video
Genus Salamandra (6 species) [subfamily Salamandrinae]
Salamandra (Alpanadra) atra account photos no sound/video Salamandra (Alpandra) corsica account photos no sound/video Salamandra (Alpandra) lanzai account photos no sound/video Salamandra (Oriandra) infraimmaculata account photos no sound/video Salamandra (Salamandra) algira account photos no sound/video Salamandra (Salamandra) salamandra account photos no sound/video
Subfamily Salamandrininae (2 species)Genus Salamandrina (2 species) [subfamily Salamandrininae]
Salamandrina perspicillata account photos no sound/video Salamandrina terdigitata account photos no sound/video
Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: https://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed:AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.