Striped newt may be listed as endangered species

The US Fish and Wildlife Service are considering moving the striped newt to the endangered species list.

Striped newts are small salamanders that live in areas of southern Georgia and north and central Florida. They tend to choose longleaf pine-dominated savanna, scrub, or sandhill habitats and breed in shallow, isolated, temporary ponds. In Florida, the striped newt has been found as far south as Hernando and Orange counties and from the Atlantic coast westward to the Apalachicola National Forest and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge,.

Researchers say the species is in decline and its population has fallen by 10 to 30 percent in recent years mainly because of a loss of historic breeding grounds for agriculture and development.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service are currently collecting information and performing a status review of the species throughout its entire range to determine whether to propose it for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Service is soliciting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding striped newts; anyone wishing to provide information can do so on-line HERE.


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