Assessment Results
Pleurodeles waltl
Sharp-ribbed Salamander, Spanish Ribbed Newt
Triton De Waltl, Triton D’espagne, Gallipato
Order:
Caudata
Family:
Salamandridae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Morocco
on:
16 Apr 2026
by:
Devin Edmonds
Authors:
Abdellah Bouazza, Aziza Lansari, Benjamin Tapley, Olivier Marquis, Gerardo García
IUCN Global Red List:
Near Threatened (NT)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Gibraltar (Introduced), Morocco, Portugal, Spain
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
16.60428058
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Least Concern (LC) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | It is locally abundant in the northwestern Atlantic plain of Morocco, specifically around Tangier, Kenitra, Ben Slimane, and Berrechid. Populations between Cassablanca and Rabat are now mostly extirpated due to development. |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value < 20 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | There are populations in the Maamora Forest and the wetland Complexe du bas Tahaddart, which are both designated as Sites of Biological and Ecological Interest. There is also recent record within Parc Naturel de Bouhachem. However, most individuals are outside of protected areas in natural habitats such as mesothermal lowland forests (e.g., Olea europaea formations) with no legal protection. |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | The species is a pioneer that readily colonizes human-made habitats like abandoned quarries and artificial ponds, suggesting that habitat could be restored at historic localities or created within its range to reintroductions. |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | No / unlikely | However, the species is legally protected under national legislation, specifically Loi n° 29-05. |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Actions are needed to manage allochthonous fish (G. holbrooki, Lepomis gibbosus) which negatively affect populations, and to mitigate road traffic mortality during the reproductive period. There is also a need to address the threat of pollution from pesticide use near agricultural areas. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further field surveys are needed to confirm doubtful historical records in areas like Essaouira and the central Rif. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | Pleurodeles waltl is a pioneer species and occupies abandoned quarries and artificial ponds with dense aquatic vegetation layer (Escoriza and Ben Hassine, 2017), and is unlikely to go extinct in the near future. Threats can be addressed by managing for allochthonous fish and mitigating road mortality. |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Yes / probably | The species is locally abundant and has the ability to inhabit disturbed environments, suggesting a high potential for natural recovery if local threats (fish, roads) are addressed. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | Aspect of biology shared with < 6 other species | Pleurodeles waltl is one of two species (the other being Echinotriton andersoni) known to rotate its ribs and project them through its sides as an antipredator defense. See Heiss, Egon, et al. "Hurt yourself to hurt your enemy: new insights on the function of the bizarre antipredator mechanism in the salamandrid Pleurodeles waltl." Journal of Zoology 280.2 (2010): 156-162. It is also the largest caudate in Africa. |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | However, it is an important species used as a model for studying transmarine dispersal and genetic haplogroups between Europe and Africa |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | Conservation does not depend on ex situ research, however, studies on Bsal and Bd susceptibility as well as pollution tolerance would be best carried out in captivity and would have conservation implications. |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | No / unlikely | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Yes, bred to F2 | The longevity is estimated in 11 (R) to 12 (Q) years (Spain; Fontanet, 1989) and to 20 years in captivity (Schleich et al., 1996). |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | It is a large species with interesting defensive behavior and is often displayed in captivity |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | It is locally abundant in its core Moroccan range |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes | The Moroccan populations are a distinct subclade related to the eastern Iberian haplogroup. Its southern and eastern limits in Morocco are attributed to increasing aridity |
Citation:
Abdellah Bouazza, Aziza Lansari, Benjamin Tapley, Olivier Marquis, Gerardo García 2026. Conservation Needs Assessment for Pleurodeles waltl, Morocco
(Devin Edmonds).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/7335
Accessed 27 Apr 2026
