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AmphibianFreshwaterSemi-aquaticIntermediate
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Arboreal Salamander
Aneides lugubris
The arboreal salamander is a unique, climbing plethodontid with a prehensile tail and strong jaws. Nocturnal and lungless, it needs a 75L vertical woodland terrarium with high humidity and plenty of climbing branches.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Caudata
Family:Plethodontidae
Subfamily:Plethodontinae
Genus:Aneides
Species:Aneides lugubris
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Water Temperature
10 - 18 °C
pH Value
6.5 - 7.5
Environment
Freshwater / Semi-aquatic
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
15 - 20 °C
Night temperature
10 - 14 °C
Ambient temperature
15 - 20 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the coastal forests and oak woodlands of California and Baja California (western North America). It is a semi-arboreal and rupicolous species, sheltering in tree cavities, under bark high off the ground, or in rock crevices near streams.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A robust salamander reaching 12–18 cm in length. The body is dark brown, chocolate, or rusty-brown, speckled with small yellow or gold spots. The head is large and triangular with powerful jaw muscles. It possesses small toe claws and a fully prehensile tail.
Behavior and Habits: Diurnal and nocturnal. It spends much of the day resting in damp tree hollows or under logs. Unlike most salamanders, it is an excellent climber. It is lungless and breathes entirely through its skin and mouth. It has sharp teeth and strong jaws, which it uses to defend itself.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is visible in head shape: adult males have broader, more triangular heads and larger jaw muscles than females, and mature males possess a mental gland on the chin.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Require a vertically-oriented forest terrarium of at least 45x45x60 cm. Provide a moist substrate of organic soil, covered in damp moss. Include vertical cork bark tubes, thick branches, and live climbing plants. A large water dish is not needed as they cannot swim.
Lighting and Heating: Prefer cool, damp conditions representing their temperate origin. Maintain temperatures of 15–20°C during the day; temperatures above 24°C are lethal due to their lungless respiration. A night drop to 10–14°C is essential. Low-level UVB (2–5%) is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity of 80–100% via daily misting. Efficient ventilation is absolutely critical to prevent stagnant, stale air, which can cause skin necrosis and bacterial infections. Use dechlorinated water.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly carnivorous. Offer live crickets, roaches (Dubia), and small snails. They are active hunters that crush prey with their powerful jaws. Dust prey with calcium and vitamin supplements regularly.
Compatibility: Highly territorial and aggressive, especially males, which can fight and inflict serious bite wounds. Keep them individually or in single male-female pairs in spacious enclosures. Avoid mixing with other species.
Health and Common Diseases: Heat stress is the most critical hazard. Fungal skin infections and ammonia toxicity can occur in poorly maintained terrariums. Never handle them with bare hands; human skin residues and body temperature can burn their delicate skin.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the coastal forests and oak woodlands of California and Baja California (western North America). It is a semi-arboreal and rupicolous species, sheltering in tree cavities, under bark high off the ground, or in rock crevices near streams.
Origin
North America
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 18.4 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 18.4 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 18.4 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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