Subfamily Salamandrinae Scientific name Chioglossa lusitanica Higher classification Chioglossa Order Salamander | Genus Chioglossa Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Salamander, Caucasian salamander, Bosca's newt, Iberian frog, Euproctus | ||
The gold-striped salamander, golden-striped salamander, saramaganta or píntega rabilonga (Chioglossa lusitanica) is a species of salamander in the Salamandridae family. It is the only species of the genus Chioglossa. It is found in the north-west of Iberia at an altitude of up to 1,300 m.
This is a short-legged salamander with protruding eyes and a tail that makes up 2/3 of its total length. It has a smooth upper side with 10-11 coastal grooves which are dark brown to blackish and usually two parallel golden stripes on the back which can sometimes be broken. It is an agile terrestrial amphibian, and is nocturnal. It may shed its tail like a lizard if it feels threatened, and lives for about eight to 10 years. It feeds primarily on invertebrates, using its sticky tongue to catch them. They mate on land with clutches of 10-35 eggs laid between stones in running water or on the walls of caves. The larvae develop in water.
Its natural habitats are moist deciduous forests with bushes, mosses, often under stones near rocky streams or caves. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The species has two described subspecies, C. l. lusitanica and C. l. longipes
