California Reptiles & Amphibians

Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Red

Dot-locality Range Map

Adult, Humboldt County

Juvenile, Del Norte County

Adult, Mendocino County

Breeding adult male, Butte County

Adult male, Butte County

Breeding adult female, Butte County

Adult, Mendocino County

Breeding adult male (top) and breeding adult female (bottom), Butte County

Adult, Tehama County © Jackson Shedd

Juvenile, Santa Clara County

Recently metamorphed juvenile

Adult in defensive posture, showing the brightly-colored underside as a warning, and curling the tail, Lewis County, Washington

Adult, defensive posture,
Del Norte County

Breeding adult male in defensive posture, Butte County

Adult in defensive pose, Douglas County Oregon

Adult in aquatic phase, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

Adult in terrestrial phase, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

Breeding adult male (on bottom) with breeding adult male Sierra Newt (on top) found in the same pool of water.

Santa Cruz Gartersnake eating a young newt © Odophile.com

During the breeding season, adult males develop nuptial pads on the toes to improve their ability to hold onto females during amplexus. Compare with the toes of a breeding female without these pads.

When viewed from above, the eyes do not usually reach the outline of the head, while those of T. t. torosa usually do.

Lower eyelids are dark. Eye has a yellow patch, unlike the solid black eyes of T. rivularis.

Mating ball, Southwest Oregon,
© Steven Krause

Egg on submerged blade of grass, Thurston County, Washington.
© 2004 William Leonard

Gilled juvenile found on land and photographed underwater.

Larva (in water)

Metamorphs, found on land at the edge of a pond, and photographed underwater. Notice the trace of gills remaining

Habitat

Habitat, Mendocino County

Habitat, San Mateo County

Habitat, near sea level, Del Norte County

Habitat, Siskiyou County

Habitat, 5,700 ft. Siskiyou County

Habitat, Humboldt County

Breeding pool in the forest, Butte County

Short Video

Rough-skinned newts move around the rocky shallow margins of a river in Douglas County, Oregon, occasionally coming up for air.

A few gentle taps on the back of a Rough-skinned Newt causes it to take a passive defensive posture, raising its tail and head to display the bright orange color of its underside which signifies danger. This "unken reflex" shows a would-be predator that the newt is deadly poisonous, while at the same time, the newt releases deadly toxins from its skin.

Description

Size

Adults are 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches long (6.4 - 8.9 cm) from snout to vent, and 3 1/2 - 7 7/8 inches (8.9 - 20 cm) in total length.

Appearance

A stocky, medium-sized lunged salamander with dry granular skin, and no costal grooves. Black, brown, reddish-brown, or light brown above, yellow or orange below. Some populations have dark blotches on the back or the venter. Breeding males develop smooth skin, flattened tail to aid with swimming, swollen vent, and rough nuptial pads on the undersides of the feet to aid in holding onto females during amplexus. Lower eyelids are dark. Irises are yellowish. Larva are pond type, brown with a row of light spots on the sides of the body

Behavior

The natural history of T. granulosa varies widely over its range. Generally terrestrial, often seen crawling over land in the daytime, becoming aquatic when breeding. But some populations hide in daylight becoming active at night. Some are primarily aquatic. Newts are often seen moving to breeding sites during the breeding season. Migration to and from breeding sites varies among populations. Some newts spend the dry summer in moist habitats under woody debris, rocks, or animal burrows with adults emerging after the fall rains. In some populations, adults remain in the ponds throughout the summer and migrate back onto land in the fall when the rain starts. Often they will form large aggregates of thousands of newts in the water. In other populations, males remain in the ponds all year. Adults in have been found in some California streams all year long except during winter flooding.

This newt may assume a swaybacked defense pose with a coiled tail, exposing the bright ventral surface to warn potential predators. Potent skin secretions repel most predators. Poisonous neurotoxins widespread through the body can cause death in many animals, including humans, if eaten in sufficient quantity. The Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis, is immune to this poison, and will prey on Rough-skinned Newts.

Diet

Diet consists mostly of invertebrates and includes amphibian eggs and larvae.

Reproduction

Breeds along the vegetated edges of slow streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs begining in December, varying with location. After amplexus, the male deposits a spermatophore and the female picks it up with her cloaca. The female lays and attaches eggs singly onto submerged vegetation. Larvae feed on small aquatic invertebrates, hiding during daylight. Larvae transform in some locations after 4 - 5 months. In others, they overwinter and transform the following summer.

Range

In California, this newt is found from Santa Cruz county north along the coast through the north coast ranges and east around the northern edge of the great valley south in the Sierra Nevada foothills to near Magalia in Butte County. It ranges farther north through Oregon and Washington and up the coast of British Columbia to Alaska. Introduced into a small area in Idaho.

Coexists with T. rivularis but unlike that species, this newt breeds in still, not flowing, water. Sometimes hybridizes with T. rivularis.

Habitat

Found in grassland, woodland, and forest.

Taxonomic Notes

Some herpetologists recognize two subspecies of Taricha granulosa, including T. g. mazamae at Crater Lake, Oregon.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None

Taxonomy
Family	Salamandridae	Newts
Genus	Taricha	Pacific Newts
Species	granulosa	Rough-skinned Newt
Subspecies	granulosa	Rough-skinned Newt
Original Description
Skilton, 1849 - Amer. Journ. Sci. Arts., Ser. 2, Vol. 7, p. 202, pl. 1 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Taricha: Greek - preserved mummy, possibly referring to the rough skinned appearance. granulosa: Latin - full of small grains, referring to the rough skin of terrestrial adults. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt Taricha granulosa granulosa - Northern Roughskin Newt
Related California Salamanders
Taricha torosa torosa - Coast Range Newt Taricha torosa sierrae - Sierra Newt Taricha rivularis - Red-bellied Newt
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game AmphibiaWeb Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943. Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005. Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998. Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996. Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005. Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993. Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game. This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List

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