There are glandular ridges along the back and the skin is granular in texture when the newt is living out of water.

The male develops a brightly colored protuberance at the tip of the tail.

[3] This newt is mostly aquatic, living in shallow ponds and streams lined with vegetation.

It is known from oak woodland habitat, scrub, sandy coastal strips, and farms and plantations.

[1] Populations are stable and the species is not considered to be threatened, but in some areas it experiences losses due to the destruction and degradation of its aquatic habitat.