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Spectacled Salamander
Salamandrina terdigitata
Southern spectacled salamander. A small, unique amphibian endemic to Italy. Black dorsally, bright red ventrally, with four toes on all feet and a distinct V-shaped mark on its head.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Caudata
Family:Salamandridae
Genus:Salamandrina
Species:Salamandrina terdigitata
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
15 - 20 °C
Night temperature
10 - 15 °C
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic strictly to the moist, cool, and pristine deciduous forests and mountain streams of the central and southern Apennines in Italy. It inhabits shaded ravines and wet leaf litter near clear, running water.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A slender, small salamander reaching 7 to 10 cm in length, with a very long tail. The dorsal surface is dark brown or black with a rough texture and a characteristic cream or yellow V-shaped mark ("spectacles") on its head. The belly is white with black spots, and the underside of the tail is bright crimson red. It possesses only four toes on its hind feet.
Behavior and Habits: Terrestrial, nocturnal, and slow-moving. It spends the day sheltering under damp moss or stones, emerging at night. When threatened, it displays a defensive posture (Unkenreflex), arching its body and tail upward to reveal the bright red warning coloration.
Morphology: Does not possess distinct external sexual dimorphism. Females are slightly larger than males when carrying eggs during spring breeding.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a horizontal forest enclosure (minimum 60x45x30 cm). Provide a thick layer of damp organic soil, live moss, slate rocks, and curved bark hides. Include a very shallow water dish filled with clean spring water.
Lighting and Heating: Cold-adapted species. Maintain temperatures strictly between 15°C and 20°C. Temperatures above 24°C are lethal. Keeping them in a cool basement or air-conditioned room is mandatory. Provide low-output lighting. Requires a cold winter hibernation (brumation) at 5-10°C.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels (80-100%) through regular misting. Ensure excellent ventilation; as they lack lungs and breathe entirely through their skin, stagnant, polluted air is rapidly fatal.
Feeding and Supplementation: Micro-insect specialist. Feed exclusively on live springtails, aphids, micro-fruit flies, and hatchling earthworms. Dust prey items with a high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplement regularly.
Compatibility: Peaceful and gregarious; can be kept in small groups. Do not house with other species or larger predators to prevent stress or injury.
Health and Common Diseases: Extremely sensitive to heat, poor water quality, and chemical pollution. Prone to skin infections if the enclosure is poorly ventilated. Never handle with bare hands, as human skin oils and warmth can cause fatal thermal and chemical shock.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic strictly to the moist, cool, and pristine deciduous forests and mountain streams of the central and southern Apennines in Italy. It inhabits shaded ravines and wet leaf litter near clear, running water.
Origin
Europe, Mediterranean, and West AsiaEast Asia
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 11.5 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 11.5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 11.5 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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