A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt

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Range in California: Red

Dot-locality Range Map

Identifying Species of
Pacific Newts - genus Taricha

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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

Breeding adult male, Butte County

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.

Adult, Tehama County © Jackson Shedd

Santa Cruz Gartersnake eating a young newt © Odophile.com

Several breeding adult newts in a breeding pond eating amphibian eggs, possibly Northwestern Salamander eggs. Many Northern Red-legged Frog eggs were also seen at the location.

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.

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.

Breeding, Eggs and Larvae

Mating ball, Southwest Oregon,
© Steven Krause

Underwater male and female in amplexus, Pacific County, Washington

Larva (in water)

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

Gilled juvenile found on land and photographed underwater.

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

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 coniferous forest, Butte County

Short Videos

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

A few light 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.

Pairs of Rough-skinned newts in amplexus in the breeding pond.

A male and a female Rough-skinned newt in their underwater amplexus ballet.

Male newts in the breeding pond wrestling over and waiting for females.

Solo male newts and males and females in amplexus swim underwater in a breeding pond in Pacific County, Washington in mid February.

Several Rough-skinned newts in Pacific County, Washington, interact with an underwater egg mass that could be from A. gracile - Northwestern Salamander, or possibly a Long-toed Salamander. Some of the newts appear to be trying to bite the eggs as if to eat them, while others seem to just thrash around without taking any bites.

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. Lower eyelids are dark. Irises are yellowish.
Breeding males develop smooth lighter-colred skin, a flattened tail to aid with swimming, a swollen vent, and rough nuptial pads on the undersides of the feet to aid in holding onto females during amplexus.

Larva are pond type, brown with a row of light spots on the sides of the body

Behavior and Natural History

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. Some populations hide in daylight becoming active at night. Some populations are primarily aquatic, living up to 10 months in permanent ponds and in streams. In terrestrial populations, rainfall in fall triggers emergence and a period of wandering to forage.

Newts are often seen moving to breeding sites during the breeding season. Migration may involve the use of celestial cues for navigation. 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 and lakes 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 have been found in some California streams all year long except during winter flooding.

Poisonous skin secretions containing tetrodotoxin repel most predators. This potent neurotoxin is widespread throughout the skin, muscles, and blood, and can cause death in many animals, including humans, if eaten in sufficient quantity. (One study estimated that 25,000 mice could be killed from the skin of one Rough-skinned newt, the most toxic of the Taricha species.) This poison can also be ingested through a mucous membrane or a cut in the skin, so care should always be taken when handling newts.
In most locations the Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis, is has a high resistance to this poison, and is known to prey on Rough-skinned Newts.

When threatened, this newt assumes a swaybacked defensive pose, closing its eyes, extending its limbs to the sides, and holding its tail curled up over the body. This "unken reflex" exposes its bright orange ventral surface coloring which is a warning to potential predators.

Adults feed mostly at night, slowly stalking prey, then quickly snapping at it, sucking it into the mouth when feeding underwater. Prey is found by sight and smell.

Longevity is estimated to be 12 years.

Diet

Diet consists mostly of a variety of invertebrates but also includes salamander and frog eggs and larvae, and even tiny fish.
Newt larvae feed on protozoans, scraping them off plants and rocks. As they grow larger, they feed on small aquatic invertebrates.

Reproduction and Young

Reproduction is aquatic. Adults breed along the vegetated edges of slow streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs typically begining in December, but the timing varies with location. At low elevation sites along the coast, breeding occurs mostly in March and April, but can take place any time from late December to June. At higher elevations, breeding can occur in summer and fall.

Adults are thought to be reproductively mature when they are 4 to 5 years old. Adults in most populations are thought to breed every other year. Except in areas where adults remain in the water year-round, males and females migrate to the breeding site where the males transform into their aquatic phase, with smooth skin that lightens in color, swollen cloacal lips, and tails enlarged and flattened to help them swim. Females develop smoother skin, but do not undergo as much change as males. Males arrive first and wait for females to arrive. When a female enters the water, males rush to grab her, often all grabbing her at the same time until one male is the victor. A male grabs onto the back of a female and holds on tightly, using specialized nuptial pads on his toes that develop during the breeding season to help his grip. Males continue this amplexus, swimming back and forth in the water, until the female is ready to fertilize her eggs. At that time, the male deposits a spermatophore and the female picks it up with her cloaca.

Females lay and attach eggs singly onto the stems and leaves of submerged plants, typically within a few inches of the surface of the water. Eggs contain the same chemical toxin that is present in the newts. Eggs hatch in 20 - 26 days, depending on the water temperature.

Larvae transform in some locations after 4 - 5 months. In others, they overwinter and transform the following summer. Recently-transformed juveniles can be found under rocks and wood along the edge of a breeding pond. After metamorphosis, juveniles move onto land, sometimes far from the water, moving into underground retreats and emerging on wet nights to feed on the surface.

Range

In California, this species 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 foothills of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada to near Magalia in Butte County. It ranges farther north through Oregon and Washington, mostly east of the Cascade Mountains, and up the coast of British Columbia to Alaska. Also introduced into a small area in Idaho.
T. granulosa has the largest distribution of the three species of Taricha.

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

Habitat

Uses a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Found in grasslands, woodlands, and coniferous forest, often near their aquatic breeding habitat. Aquatic habitats include temporary and permanent ponds, lakes, slow edges of streams and creeks.
Found at elevations from sea level to about 9,200 ft. (2,800 m).

Taxonomic Notes

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

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

Timber harvesting, especially clearcutting, is known to impact newt habitat. Some studies have concluded that UV-B exposure may have a negative effect on rough-skinned newts.

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., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. 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)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Game	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List

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