NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
California Newt
Taricha torosa (Rathke, 1833)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The California newt or orange-bellied newt (Taricha torosa), is a species of newt endemic to California, in the Western United States. Its adult length can range from 5 to 8 in (13 to 20 cm). Its skin produces the potent toxin tetrodotoxin.
Wikipedia contributors, California newt; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:52:29.074659+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Taricha torosa (Rathke, 1833)
- Name authority
- (Rathke, 1833)
- Common name
- California Newt
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Salamandridae
- Genus
- Taricha
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familySalamandridae Goldfuss, 1820
- subfamilyPleurodelinae Tschudi, 1838
- genusTaricha Gray, 1850
- speciesTaricha torosa (Rathke, 1833)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Taricha. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rough-skinned NewtTaricha granulosa (Skilton, 1849) | SalamandridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-bellied NewtTaricha rivularis (Twitty, 1935) | SalamandridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sierra NewtTaricha sierrae (Twitty, 1942) | SalamandridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173622 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:54XQS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.