Eastern newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820)
Overview
The eastern newt is a common newt of eastern North America. It frequents small lakes, ponds, vernal ponds and streams or nearby wooded areas. The eastern newt produces tetrodotoxin, which makes the species unpalatable to predatory fish and crayfish. It has a lifespan of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and it may grow to 5 in (13 cm) in length. These animals are common aquarium pets, being either collected from the wild or sold commercially. The striking bright orange juvenile stage, which is land-dwelling, is known as a red eft. Some sources blend the general name of the species and that of the red-spotted newt subspecies into the eastern red-spotted newt.
From the Wikipedia article “Eastern newt”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: North America.
Common names
Names in other languages (5)
- Chinese
- 绿红东美螈
- French
- triton vert
- German
- Grünlicher Wassermolch
- Persian
- سمندرک خاوری
- Russian
- Зеленоватый тритон
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q1552306, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Eastern newt”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Cynops, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026