immature salamanders
Posted by Joshua Slepin on March 2, 2006
Q: On Oct 19, 2005, you answered a question from someone about what to call an immature slamander. At the time you stated that there was no special term. This is untrue.
Newts are slamanders that remain aquatic in their adult forms. The word "Newt" is derived from "eft", the original word for these animals. Eft is now used exclusively for the terrestrial juvenile form of the slamander.
As an example, Notophthalmus juveniles are 3-5 cm in size with reddish coloration and are called "red efts".
A: You're correct when referring to a limited group of salamanders. The term "eft" refers to a certain group of salamanders that live as immatures on land and then adults in water. Most salamanders, however, spend their immature lives in water and then their adult lives on land. So, for the "typical" salamander, the immature forms are not called "efts" and they do not have a specific name other than larval salamander. Thanks for writing and I hope this clarifies this.
John Wiessinger ( March 3, 2006)