Corsican fire salamander, korsischer feuersalamander
© 2014 Axel Hernandez (1 of 25)
Salamandra corsica possesses aposematic yellow splotches against a highly contrasted black background, which warns predators of their unpalatable nature (Sparreboom 2012).
Studies show that the yellow splotches may experience dynamic change throughout the lifespan of an individual. Metamorphosed juveniles have round and small yellow patterns, while older adults possess increasingly irregular and larger yellow patterns with time (Beukema 2011).
Distribution and Habitat
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Females of this species give live birth to larvae in streams or shaded ponds, which are then sheltered in small fresh water bodies where they metamorphose into adults (Sparreboom 2012). However, there have been some reports of direct development in S. Corsica, with females giving birth to fully metamorphosed young (Noellert and Noellert 1992; Miaud et al. 2009). Larvae range from 20 - 40 mm in length upon birth, possess long external gills, and a tail crest that starts in the central of the dorsal side. Once metamorphosed, juveniles range can measure from 50 – 110 mm in length and can grow up to 35 mm a year until they reach sexual maturity. This species can take up to five years to reach sexual maturity (Sparreboom 2012).
Salamandra corsica typically eats anything it can catch, including insects, arachnids, terrestrial mollusks, centipedes, and earthworms (Sparreboom 2012).
Trends and Threats
Relation to Humans
Possible reasons for amphibian decline
General habitat alteration and loss
Salamandra is Latin for salamander, and the name corsica refers to the endemic location of this species: Corsica, France.
Beukema, W. (2011). ''Ontogenetic pattern change in amphibians: the case of Salamandra corsica.'' Acta Herpetologica, 6(2), 169-174.
Miaud, C., Cheylan, M., Sindaco, R., Romano, A. 2009. Salamandra corsica. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012.2. Downloaded on 16 February 2013
Nöllert, A. and Nöllert, C. (1992). Die Amphibien Europas. Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH and Company, Stuttgart.
Sparreboom, M. 2012. Salamanders of the old world: Salamandra corsica. Science.Naturalis. Accessed Febuary 2013 from http://science.naturalis.nl/hosted-sites/salamanders/salamanders-of-the-old-world/species-list/salamandra/corsica
Steinfartz, S., Veith, M., and Tautz, D. (2000). ''Mitochondrial sequence analysis of Salamandra taxa suggests old splits of major lineages and postglacial recolonizations of Central Europe from distinct source populations of Salamandra salamandra.'' Molecular Ecology, (9), 397-410.
Written by Arie van der Meijden; Updated by Katherine Luethcke (amphibia AT arievandermeijden.nl; Katherine.luethcke AT austin.utexas.edu), Research associate, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley; update University of Texas at Austin
First submitted 2000-01-07
Edited by AvdM; Update by Ann T. Chang (2014-01-19)
Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2014 Salamandra corsica: Corsican fire salamander <http://amphibiaweb.org/species/4282> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Feb 18, 2018.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2018. <http://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 18 Feb 2018.
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