Taricha viridescens

[keegan]

In one of my bio labs, I came across a jar labled as Taricha viridescens, apparently collected in S. Ontario (Canada)

Has anyone heard of these before? I hadn't. They were separate from the N. viridescens.

Keegan

 

[nate]

That's a mistake. In the past, Taricha were included in Notophthalmus, but never vice versa. For some info on N. viridescens' very long and convoluted name history, check out

http://research.amnh.org/cgi-bin/herpetology/amphibia?recordid=JJUPVCUWAJNYRDQH

 

[cataldo]

If my memory serves, Notophthalmus used to be called Triturus right?

thought id add.

Cataldo

 

[keegan]

Thanks Nate,
I hadn't heard that name, and I had also never heard of any Taricha's being found in the east (is that correct?)

What exactly am I looking at, when I view your link there? Is that a listing of every scientific reference to the species now known as N. viridescens?

If that is the case, it looks like you are right Cataldo.. they have been called Triturus, as well as Diemictylus, and a few other things.

Keegan

 

[nate]

Hi Keegan, Taricha have never been found in the east, correct. More than likely, the person who labeled that particular jar didn't know much about newts and didn't care...I've run into a similar thing at my university herp collection with Typhlonectes caecilians being labeled as Dermophis, Xenopus labeled as Pipa, etc.

Yes, you're looking at the complete name history for the newt we now call Notophthalmus viridescens from 1819 to the present. They've even been called Salamandra.