Palmate newt
Lissotriton helveticus (Razoumovsky, 1789)
The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) is an amphibian in the salamanders and newts subgroup, belonging to the family Salamandridae and subfamily Pleurodelinae. It is a tiny animal, with a representative adult body mass of 1.8 g and a body length of up to 9.5 cm.
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Quick facts about the palmate newt
This nocturnal carnivore eats arthropods and vertebrates and uses aquatic and terrestrial microhabitats. It lays eggs, has a larval stage in its development, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 1.8 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 9.5 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 11 years
- Main food
- arthropods, vertebratessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 460src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 years – 3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the palmate newt
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the palmate newt live?
Not recorded
What is the palmate newt?
The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) is a species of newt found in Western Europe, from Great Britain to the northern Iberian Peninsula. It is 5–9.5 cm (2.0–3.7 in) long and olive or brown with some dark spots. The underside is yellow to orange, and the throat, unlike in the similar smooth newt, always unspotted. A dark stripe runs along the head and through the eyes. Breeding males develop a distinct filament on the end of their tail, strongly webbed hind feet, and a low, smooth crest on their back.
Habitats include forests, marshes, pastures or gardens. While on land, the newts are mainly nocturnal. After emerging from hibernation in spring, they move to stagnant, fish-free bodies of water for breeding. Following a courtship display, the male deposits a spermatophore that is picked up by the female. Larvae develop over after 1.5–3.5 months before metamorphosing into land-dwelling juveniles (efts). Sexual maturity is reached after two to three years, and the newts can live up to 12 years in the wild. The species is generally common and has been assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
From the Wikipedia article “Palmate newt” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palmate_newt&oldid=1334445192), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the palmate newt endangered?
The palmate newt is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the palmate newt classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAmphibia
- orderCaudata
- familySalamandridae
- genusLissotriton
- SpeciesLissotriton helveticus (Razoumovsky, 1789)
Synonyms Diemictylus palmatus, Lacerta helvetica, Lacerta paradoxa, Lacerta paradoxa var. helvetica, Lissotriton helveticus alonsoi, Lissotriton helveticus helveticus, Lissotriton helveticus punctillatus, Lissotriton palmipes, Lophinus helveticus, Lophinus palmatus, Molge palmata, Salamandra palmata, Salamandra palmipes, Triton alonsoi, Triton helveticus, Triton minor, Triton palmatus, Triton paradoxus, Triturus helveticus, Triturus helveticus alonsoi, Triturus helveticus helveticus, Triturus helveticus punctillatus, Triturus helveticus sequeirai, Triturus palmatus, Triturus palmatus sequeirai
Other names and names in other languages (36)
- guardafontes espalmáuAsturian
- Gweronell balvezekBreton
- Tritó palmatCatalan
- čolek hranatýCzech
- Madfall Ddŵr BalfogWelsh
- Madfallod Dwr PalfogWelsh
- TrådvandsalamanderDanish
- LeistenmolchGerman
- FadenmolchGerman
- Tritón PalmeadoSpanish
- uhandre palmatuaBasque
- räpylämanteriFinnish
- Triton palméFrench
- Triton palmé (Le)French
- Earc palmatachIrish
- dearc-luachrach boiseachScottish Gaelic
- dearcan-luachrach boiseachScottish Gaelic
- Tritón palmadoGalician
- talpas gőteHungarian
- Tritone palmatoItalian
- ヒラユビイモリJapanese
- 물갈퀴영원Korean
- TrådsalamanderNorwegian Bokmål
- VinpootsalamanderDutch
- traszka helweckaPolish
- Tritão palmadoPortuguese
- Tritão-de-patas-espalmadasPortuguese
- Tritão-palmadoPortuguese
- Нитеносный тритонRussian
- Перепончатоногий тритонRussian
- nitasti pupekSlovenian
- niitvesilikroot
- draadstaartsalamandroot
- madfall balmwyddogroot
- Sa giông chân màngVietnamese
- VinpôotsalamanderWest Flemish
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the palmate newt
Other species in the same genus Lissotriton.
Smooth newt
Lissotriton vulgaris
Bosca's newt
Lissotriton boscai
Carpathian newt
Lissotriton montandoni
Italian newt
Lissotriton italicus
Greek newt
Lissotriton graecus
Algarve newt
Lissotriton maltzani
ComparePalmate newt vs Smooth newtPalmate newt vs Bosca's newtPalmate newt vs Carpathian newtPalmate newt vs Italian newt
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the palmate newt?
The palmate newt is an amphibian in the salamanders and newts subgroup. It belongs to the order Caudata and the family Salamandridae.
How big is the palmate newt?
The palmate newt is tiny, with a representative adult body mass of 1.8 g. Its body length is up to 9.5 cm.
What does the palmate newt eat?
The palmate newt is a carnivore whose main foods are arthropods and vertebrates.
Is the palmate newt endangered?
No. The palmate newt is listed as Least Concern (LC) in the global IUCN assessment, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the palmate newt live?
The palmate newt has a lifespan of up to 11 years.
How does the palmate newt reproduce?
The palmate newt lays eggs and its development includes a larval stage. Its clutch or litter size is given as 460.
Is the palmate newt nocturnal?
Yes. The palmate newt is nocturnal and uses aquatic and terrestrial microhabitats.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/palmate-newt
“Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/palmate-newt.
@misc{palmate_newt_2026,
title = {Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/palmate-newt},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}