About Salamandra algira Bedriaga, 1883
The North African fire salamander, scientifically named Salamandra algira Bedriaga, 1883, is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It occurs in Algeria, Morocco, and Ceuta, and may also be present in Tunisia. Its natural habitats include temperate forests, rivers, and caves, and it is currently threatened by habitat loss. This salamander is endemic to northwestern Africa. Its confirmed range covers the Rif Mountains and Middle Atlas Mountains in northern Morocco, the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, and the coastal mountains of northern Algeria. Records of the species from northern Tunisia are considered potentially erroneous. It occurs at altitudes between 80 m (260 ft) and approximately 2,450 m (8,040 ft). It typically inhabits the floor of moist oak and cedar forests, where it shelters under roots and stones, and it is also found in caves. Across most of the species' range, the North African fire salamander is ovoviviparous: females produce 8 to 50 eggs per batch, retain eggs inside their bodies until hatching, and embryos gain nourishment from egg yolk. In the Tingitana region, however, developing embryos get at least part of their nourishment from secreted fluids produced by the female, so this population is considered viviparous. Viviparous females produce around fifteen larvae, which are deposited in streams or pools.
