S.s. salamandra or S.s. terrestris?

[ester]

This is one of three salamanders I bought recently. They were sold as S.s. terrestris but there's some doubt whether this is correct. Can anyone help?

He's looking a bit dirty because his beauty sleep was interrupted for this photo shoot.

His tummy is completely black.

 

[sergé]

It is most likely to be terrestris as they are the most common ones in captive bred situations. But especially the often imported Ukraine specimens have a similar pattern as this animal and you are right in that the colour pattern of the head is more typical for S.s. salamandra. You just have to wait until they are bigger. The tummy will get more colour as well as it grows.

 

[ingo]

Hello,

there are so many different colour patterns in Salamandra s. terrestris that sometimes it´s not possible to distinguish the subspecies without knowing the exact origin of the Salamander.

This adult S.s. terrestris for example probably from the colour pattern looks like the nominate form, but it´s photographed in an area in Western Germany where S.s. salamandra don´t exist!

In juveniles it´s much more difficult to tell.

Greets,

Ingo

(Message edited by inshi on May 07, 2005)