Salamandra

Salamandra is a genus of poisonous salamanders, subfamily Salamandrinae, family Salamandridae, order Urodela, formally established by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768, comprising six species found across central and southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, with a fossil record extending from the Paleocene to the present. Members are defined by toxic skin secretions and individual species have adapted to a wide range of environments, from North African deserts to Alpine mountain ranges and Mediterranean islands such as Corsica. The type species, the fire salamander, Salamandra salamandra, inhabits southern and central Europe, while the alpine salamander, Salamandra atra, occupies higher-elevation Alpine territory.