More pictures in the comments
I spent some time in 2009-2010 working around a very close relative: Hydromantes brunus
Also a pretty beautiful species! What did you do with these animals? I read that there ist not much known about their behaviour and generel life.
First I did a habitat analysis, which was tricky because they said north facing slopes, but what they really meant was topographically shaded. Then we were surveying to find them inside of the search areas (and outside as well), in order to protect them under the endangered species act. They were always buried under rocks. Usually they were just photographed, documented, and then placed back under the rocks.
It’s a newt
