Amphibians · Caudata · Salamandridae

Bosca's Newt

Lissotriton boscai

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Bosca's newt is a small urodele endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, brown above with an orange belly speckled with black. It is the most widespread newt in the west of the peninsula and occupies everything from dehesa pools to cattle troughs and mountain springs. It depends on small waterbodies that farming is doing away with.

Weight

1 kg – 3 kg

Size

6 cm – 10 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestFreshwaterGrasslandCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Freshwater Grassland

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Fun facts

GeneralEndemic to Iberia; the male waves his tail at the female in courtship.
It is an Iberian endemic present across almost the whole western half of the peninsula, from Galicia to Andalusia, always tied to small waterbodies without fish.
The orange belly speckled with black is its diagnostic feature and varies so much between individuals that it has been used as a fingerprint to identify particular animals in monitoring studies.
Its decline is tied to the disappearance of traditional rural pools, springs and cattle troughs, and to the introduction of exotic fish and crayfish that prey on its larvae.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Ponds, springs, cattle troughs and slow streams
Size at birth: An aquatic larva with external gills, about 10 mm on hatching
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: Larval development in pools and streams
Litter / clutch size: 160

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/