Newts and Salamanders of Southern France

Terrestrial and Aquatic French Amphibians with Tails

Jul 12, 2008 John Blatchford

Four newts and salamanders are found in the South of France, with another seven species restricted to other parts of France and Corsica.

Some salamandrids are more terrestrial than others, but most need access to water for breeding.

Salamanders

The fire salamander – (Salamandra salamandra) - Salamandre Tachetée in French, has three distinct sub-species in France according to some authorities. They would say that S. salamandra terrestris can be found almost anywhere, while S. salmandra.fastuosa is only in the Pyrenees, and S. salamandra.salamandra is restricted to the extreme south east. Other authorities take the view that this is a highly variable species, with many different colour patterns. Images of the three sub-species (or colour varieties) found in France are shown below. Fire Salamanders are the most terrestrial of the salamandrids in France, and some varieties even deposit their fully-formed young on land – but having said that they are usually found in very damp conditions.

The Pyrenean Euproct - Euproctus asper, also known as the Pyrenean Brook Salamander – L'euprocte des Pyrénées in French, will only be found high up in the Pyrenees, typically at about 2000m and near water. They are an ancient type of salamander and look a bit like ‘little dragons’ with their rough skins and large square heads. They are very slow moving and therefore easy for predators to catch. They cannot live in waters containing trout (one of their most serious predators).

Newts

The Marbled Newt (Triturus marmoratus) – ‘Triton Marbré’ in French, is only found in the south west. Where its distribution overlaps with that of the Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) - Triton Crêté – hybrids may sometimes be encountered (Triton de Blasius - Triturus marmoratus x cristatus). Since this only occurs very locally in the northern parts of south west France this hybrid, and the Crested Newt itself, will rarely be encountered – but be on the lookout for ‘weird’ Marbled Newts just north of Bordeaux.

The Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus)- Triton Palmé in French, is found everywhere in France (except the extreme south east). This is the smallest European newt, and it gets its name from the webs that develop between the toes of males in the breeding season.

Other French Salamanders

Lanza's Alpine Salamander (Salamandra lanzai) - Salamandre de Lanza and The Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra) - Salamandre noire, are – as their names would suggest – exclusively alpine.

The French Cave Salamander – (Speleomantes strinatii) is only found in Corsica, where there is also a second species of Euproct – The Corsican Brook Salamander (Euproctus montanus)

Other French Newts

The Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris) - Triton Ponctué , and The Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) - Triton Crêté are only found in the north of the country, while The Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris) - Triton Alpestre is exclusively alpine.

Reference: ‘Collins Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe’.

The copyright of the article Newts and Salamanders of Southern France in Reptiles & Amphibians is owned by John Blatchford. Permission to republish Newts and Salamanders of Southern France in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.