CR

Lanza's Alpine Salamander

Salamandra lanzai

DecliningVUEU

Overview

Lanza's alpine salamander or the large alpine salamander is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae, found in France and Italy. Its natural habitats are forests, grasslands, and pasturelands, all of which are temperate. It is threatened by habitat loss and potentially in the future by the fungal disease Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.

Salamandra lanzai faces severe threats from climate change, as rising temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly higher elevations with limited suitable habitat remaining. The species is also vulnerable to habitat degradation from trampling by hikers and livestock grazing in its restricted alpine range. Water pollution and altered hydrological patterns from human activities further threaten the aquatic breeding sites essential for larval development.

Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic salamander inhabits high-altitude alpine environments in the Cottian Alps, typically found near cold mountain streams, springs, and seepages between 1,200-2,400 meters elevation. The species requires pristine, cold water sources for breeding and moist microhabitats under rocks and logs in surrounding alpine meadows and rocky areas.

Forest· majorRocky areas· major

Conservation measures underway

Species managementSpecies recoveryLegislation

Other threatened species in SALAMANDRIDAE

Luschan's SalamanderEN

Luschan's Salamander

Lyciasalamandra luschani

Declining
Common Fire SalamanderVU

Common Fire Salamander

Salamandra salamandra

Declining
VU

Kosswig's Smooth Newt

Lissotriton kosswigi

Declining
VU

Black-spotted Newt

Notophthalmus meridionalis

Declining

Threatened in France

VU

Lepiota echinella

Unknown
VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Lyophyllum deliberatum

Unknown
VU

Large Tree-chernes

Dendrochernes cyrneus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Lanza's Alpine Salamander classified as Critically Endangered?
Lanza's Alpine Salamander is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Salamandra lanzai faces severe threats from climate change, as rising temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly higher elevations with limited suitable habitat remaining. The species is also vulnerable to habitat degradation from trampling by hikers and livestock grazing in its restricted alpine range. Water pollution and altered hydrological patterns from human activities further threaten the aquatic breeding sites essential for larval development.
Where does Lanza's Alpine Salamander live?
Lanza's Alpine Salamander occurs in France, and Italy. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Lanza's Alpine Salamander?
The main threats to Lanza's Alpine Salamander are 4.1, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 6.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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