Notophthalmus viridescens

Description:

The greenish-brown larvae remain in the water for several months before emerging as efts, orange-red with a double row of black-ringed vermilion spots. The efts spend two or three years on land, hibernating in winter under leaves, and then return permanently to the water, becoming olive green and developing a broad swimming tail. Newts are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Amphibia, order Urodela, family Salamandridae.The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.