Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm.
Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is very granular because of the number of poison glands. They also lack nasolabial grooves. Most species of Salamandridae have moveable eyelids but lack lacrimal glands.
The fire salamander is a common species of salamander found in Europe.
The eastern newt is a common newt of eastern North America. It frequents small lakes, ponds, and streams or nearby wet forests. The eastern newt produces tetrodotoxin, which makes the species unpalatable to predatory fish and crayfish. It has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and it may grow to 5 in (13 cm) in length. These animals are common aquarium pets, being either collected from the wild or sold commercially. The striking bright orange juvenile stage, which is land-dwelling, is known as a red eft. Some sources blend the general name of the species and that of the red-spotted newt subspecies into the eastern red-spotted newt.
The fire belly newt or fire newt is a genus (Cynops) of newts native to Japan and China. All of the species show bright yellow or red bellies, but this feature is not unique to this genus. Their skin contains a toxin that can be harmful if ingested.
The genus Taricha consists of four species of highly toxic newts in the family Salamandridae. Their common name is Pacific newts, sometimes also western newts or roughskin newts. The four species within this genus are the California newt, the rough-skinned newt, the red-bellied newt, and the sierra newt, all of which are found on the Pacific coastal region from southern Alaska to southern California, with one species possibly ranging into northern Baja California, Mexico.
The rough-skinned newt or roughskin newt is a North American newt known for the strong toxin exuded from its skin.
The Iberian ribbed newt, gallipato or Spanish ribbed newt is a newt endemic to the central and southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. It is the largest European newt species and it is also known for its sharp ribs which can puncture through its sides, and as such is also called the sharp-ribbed newt.
Tylototriton verrucosus is a species of newt found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Common names include: Himalayan newt, crocodile newt, crocodile salamander, Himalayan salamander, red knobby newt.
The southern crested newt is a terrestrial European newt. It is similar to the northern crested newt except larger and more robust.
Neurergus kaiseri, the Luristan newt, Kaiser's mountain newt, Kaiser's spotted newt or emperor spotted newt, is a species of very colourful salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran where it is known from just four streams. Populations of this newt have been declining and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as "vulnerable". A captive breeding programme has been established in several zoos.
The Italian newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found only in Italy. The species can be found in temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, water storage areas, ponds, and canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss, natural land conversion and invasive species. It was formerly known as Triturus italicus, but was relocated to the genus Lissotriton after Triturus was split.
The red-tailed knobby newt or Kweichow (crocodile) newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in western Guizhou and north-eastern Yunnan, China. It is most closely related to emperor newt and Himalayan newt.
The Blue Ridge two-lined salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the United States. This species is found in the southern Appalachian Mountains, mostly south of Virginia. To the north is a similar salamander, Eurycea bislineata, or the northern two-lined salamander. Its genus, Eurycea contains 33 species and includes taxa that have either a metamorphic life cycle or larval-form paedomorphosis. In species that metamorphose, there can be within-and among-population variation in larval life-history characteristics, e.g., duration of the larval period and size at metamorphosis. Intraspecific geographic variation in species of Eurycea has been attributed to several factors: temperature, stream order and productivity of the larval habitat.
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats.
Tylototriton ziegleri, also known as Ziegler's crocodile newt or Ziegler's knobby newt, is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is currently known from Hà Giang and Cao Bằng provinces in northern Vietnam, although its actual range probably wider; there is a photograph to suggest it also occurs in Lào Cai Province in Vietnam, and its range likely extends to Yunnan in southern China. Based on molecular genetic data, Tylototriton ziegleri belongs to the "Tylototriton asperrimus group" of newts. The specific name ziegleri honours Thomas Ziegler, a German herpetologist.
Tylototriton panhai is a newt found in Thailand and Laos. It was recently distinguished from Tylototriton shanjing by Nishikawa et al., 2013.
Tylototriton uyenoi, the Chiang Mai crocodile newt, is a newt endemic to Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. It was distinguished from Tylototriton shanjing, the emperor newt, in 2013. The species was named in honor of herpetologist Shun-ichi Ueno. T. uyenoi is one of the few salamander species endemic to Thailand.
The angular-headed newt, also known as angular-headed crocodile newt, is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Its unique orange markings help to distinguish it from other species, and also gave it the nickname "Star-Trek newt", as it resembles the ridges on the head of the fictional Klingon species from the television show Star Trek.
Tylototriton ngoclinhensis, the Ngoc Linh crocodile newt, is a species of crocodile newt native to the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. First discovered in 2018, it was described as a new species in 2023. Due to its small range, the newt is considered to be threatened and it has been proposed for it to be classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
