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Lake Urmia Newt
Neurergus crocatus
A magnificent and rare Middle Eastern newt, black with large yellow oval spots. Highly threatened in the wild and features very strict temperature requirements.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Caudata
Family:Salamandridae
Genus:Neurergus
Species:Neurergus crocatus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
50 - 80 %
Day temperature
14 - 18 °C
Night temperature
8 - 12 °C
Ambient temperature
14 - 18 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: An endangered newt species endemic to cold, highly oxygenated mountain streams, rocky pools, and spring-fed headwaters of the Zagros Mountains, spanning Iraq, eastern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. It thrives in crystal-clear alpine waters, seeking shelter under rocks to escape daytime heat.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Salamandridae. It is a medium-sized newt (12-16 cm in adult length) with smooth, rubbery skin during the aquatic phase. The dorsal pattern is highly aposematic, featuring a deep black base covered in large, bright yellow circular or oval spots, while the belly is bright orange or red. It possesses a flattened tail adapted for swimming.
Behavior and Habits: Semi-aquatic. It spends several months in the water for breeding and foraging, hiding in rock crevices during the day. It moves to land primarily for hibernation or when streams dry up. It walks slowly along the stream bed and hunts aquatic insects.
Morphology: Females are generally larger, longer, and heavier than males. During the breeding season, males develop a highly swollen, white-colored cloaca and engage in courtship tail-fanning displays.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a paludarium or aquatic-leaning setup (minimum 80x45x45 cm). The tank should be composed of 70% cold, clean water (15-20 cm deep) with a strong current provided by water pumps, and a 30% terrestrial area with moist stones. A powerful filtration system is essential to maintain high water quality.
Lighting and Heating: Requires strictly cold temperatures. Water temperatures must be maintained between 14 and 18°C. Warm water is highly lethal; temperatures exceeding 22-23°C will cause severe stress, gill damage, and rapid death, making a water chiller essential in summer. Hibernation at 4-8°C during winter is necessary for breeding. Provide a low UVB (5%) light source.
Humidity and Hydration: Requires high ambient humidity (80-100%) in the terrestrial zone. Dechlorinated, highly oxygenated water is vital. Perform frequent water changes of 30% weekly to avoid accumulation of waste products like ammonia. Excellent air circulation is necessary to prevent skin necrosis and fungal issues.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed a variety of live or frozen foods, such as bloodworms, small earthworms, daphnia, and small snails. They will ignore dry pellet foods. Supplement their diet with vitamins and calcium to support skeletal health and prevent metabolic bone disease.
Compatibility: Generally peaceful and tolerant of conspecifics when kept in groups, provided there are plenty of hides. Do not mix with smaller newt species, which they may attack or consume. Avoid housing with different species to prevent cross-contamination and stress.
Health and Common Diseases: Extremely sensitive to heat and ammonia spikes, which cause skin necrosis, lethargy, and fatal fungal infections (Saprolegnia). Never handle with bare hands; skin acids, soap residues, and human body temperature can cause chemical burns, severe skin irritation, and toxic shock.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
An endangered newt species endemic to cold, highly oxygenated mountain streams, rocky pools, and spring-fed headwaters of the Zagros Mountains, spanning Iraq, eastern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. It thrives in crystal-clear alpine waters, seeking shelter under rocks to escape daytime heat.
Origin
Europe, Mediterranean, and West Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 7.6 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 7.6 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 7.6 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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