Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) The Red-spotted Newt (a.k.a. Eastern Newt) is one of three species of amphibians found on Block Island, and the only salamander. Red-spotted Newt adults (pictured above) are about 2.5 to 4.75 inches in length. Their coloration ranges from olive-greenish to yellowish-brown above with 3 to 7 red spots outlined in black, and whitish with black spots below. The tail is flattened vertically in aquatic adults (more roundish in the terrestrial eft form). Red-spotted Newts undergo metamorphosis and can exist in up to three different forms during its life cycle. First, they start out as an egg (one of 80 – 450 singly deposited by the female during the spring in shallow, slow moving fresh water habitats. Eggs hatch in 3- 5 weeks. The resulting larvae are about 6 mm long, are greenish with a black line through the eye, and have external "bushy" gills for breathing in the water. After several weeks the larvae will lose its gills and develop lungs for air breathing. At this time the newt also develops a more terrestrial body form and leaves the pond to live on the land – generally moist, cool habitats often found under leaf litter, logs and rocks. This non-breeding, land-living metamorph is known as an "eft". (In some locations – not on Block Island, or in Rhode Island – the eft is a bright reddish-orange color and is generally referred to as a "red eft". The eft will return to its original water body (or very near it) after 2-7 years on land, where it will remain as an adult Red-spotted Newt year round. At this point in a newt’s life cycle, the newt continues as an aquatic adult, generally breeding and laying eggs in the spring. To see photographs of these various life forms, and to learn more about the lifecycle (which may have several variations to the cycle outlined above) of the Red-spotted Newt, go to http://www.uri.edu/cels/nrs/paton/LH_rs_newt.html Red-spotted Newts are found throughout eastern North America from Florida to southern Canada and west to Texas. On Block Island, Red-spotted Newts can be found in ponds in all parts of the Island; and are more likely to be found in fishless ponds, with greater amounts of emergent vegetation that have water year ‘round. Red-spotted Newts – in all their life forms – are toxic and therefore are not generally threatened by fish or other predators. Red-spotted Newts are voiceless. Red-spotted Newts eat a variety of insects including mosquitoes and their larvae, tiny freshwater mollusks and crustaceans, worms, the eggs of other amphibians, and small invertebrates. Although similar in size and coloration, male Red-spotted Newts can be distinguished by the black pads at the end of their toes on their hind feet (see picture above). To learn more about Red-spotted Newts check out these resources that were used to prepare this page: Amphibians and Reptiles of New England: Habitats and Natural History, 1983, by Richard M. DeGraaf and Deborah D. Rudis. This Broken Archipelago: Cape Cod and the Islands, Amphibians and Reptiles, 1976, by James D. Lazell, Jr. The Ecology of Block Island: Proceedings of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey Conference, October 28, 2000 http://www.uri.edu/cels/nrs/paton/LH_rs_newt.html http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/herps/amphibid/species/rsnewt.htm View All "Critters of the Month"