THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY
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Amphibia    Caudata    Salamandridae  

Red-bellied Newt
Taricha rivularis (Twitty, 1935)
tah-REE-kah — riv-you-LAR-iss

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

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Occurrences:; 2,397 Total; 952 Museum; 1,445 Other
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: California

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its preferred habitat.
Taricha — Possibly from Greek tarichos (ταρίχος), meaning “preserved fish” or “pickled meat,” perhaps referring to the rough, dry skin texture of these newts when on land.
rivularis — From Latin rivulus, “small stream,” and -aris, “pertaining to.” The name means “of the brook,” reflecting the species’ association with clear, fast-flowing streams.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Western Red-bellied Newt (Taricha rivularis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Red-bellied Newt (Taricha rivularis: Conant, Roger, Fred R. Cagle, Coleman J. Goin, Charles H. Lowe, Wilfred T. Neill, M. Graham Netting, Karl P. Schmidt, Charles E. Shaw, Robert C. Stebbins, and Charles M. Bogert. 1956. Common names for North American amphibians and reptiles. Copeia 1956(3):172-185);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1935 Twitty, Victor Chandler. Two new species of Triturus from California. Copeia 1935:73-80
1942 Myers, George S. Notes on Pacific coast Triturus. Copeia 1942(2):77-82
1958 Riemer, William J. Variation and systematic relationships within the salamander genus Taricha. University of California Publications in Zoology 56(3):301-390
1964 Twitty, Victor C. Taricha rivularis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (9):1-2
1964 Davis, William C. and Victor Chandler Twitty. Courtship behavior and reproductive isolation in the species Taricha (Amphibia, Caudata). Copeia 1964(4):601-610
1967 Coates, Michael A comparative study of the serum proteins of the species of Taricha and their hybrids. Evolution 21:130-140
1974 Hedgecock, Dennis and Francisco J. Ayala. Evolutionary divergence in the genus Taricha (Salamandridae). Copeia 1974(3):738-747
1981 Nussbaum, Ronald A. and Brodie, Edmund D., Jr. Taricha.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (271):1-2

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Monday 10 August 2026 02:04 CT