A very uncommon newt

Unlike the abundant eastern newts of the genus Notophthalmus, the black-spotted newt, Notophthalmus meridionalis, of southeastern Texas is among the rarest of American salamanders.

Because of the harsh habitat in which this very pretty 4-inch long salamander has evolved, it is largely restricted to the few permanent ponds within its range, and seldom strays more than a few feet from the water. This newt is aptly named, having many relatively large black spots both on the olive-green dorsum and rich orange venter.

The only black-spotted newts I have seen in the wild were found in the 1960s. Gordy and I stopped to listen to some frogs calling from a small, lilypad covered, roadside pond and there at pond-edge we saw a half dozen newts as well. Since then a few additional examples have been seen by field researchers, but I have not been among the lucky ones.

Despite its rarity in the wild, the black-spotted newt is bred successfully by several zoological parks. Many hundreds are in captivity and several wild populations have been augmented by the release of captive raised examples.

More photos under the jump...

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.