A new species of salamander has been identified in the Monchique mountains. The December 19th discovery last year was made by naturalist and photographer Philippe Evrard who was on a field trip.
Evrard is collaborating with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), the University of Oporto and the University of Lisbon in the compilation of the "Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Portugal," an extensive new publication that is categorising and describing each of the nation’s amphibian and reptile types.
During a night session at the Fóia Adventure Park and Barranco dos Pizões, the photographer came across the salamander subspecies which looked similar to the normal Monchique variety but he realised that the colouring was significantly different.
Evrard awaits scientific confirmation that his find is indeed a subspecies of the Monchique Fire Salamander as it has many characteristics that differ, including more yellow colouring and distinctive red areas.
Herpetologists naturally are excited and the Algarve region shows again that it is a rich habitat for known and unknown species of fauna.
