What toxin is found in the adorable newt seen in this picture (Taricha torosa)?
Tetrodotoxin. The toxin found in this newt was originally named Tarichatoxin but was later discovered to be identical to tetrodotoxin, which is found in other animals such as pufferfish used to make the Japanese delicacy fugu, and the blue ring octopus. Interestingly the “eye of newt” referred to as part of the witches brew in Macbeth likely refers simply to mustard seeds and thus does NOT contain tetrodotoxin.
Wakely, J. F., Fuhrman, G. J., Fuhrman, F. A., Fischer, H. G., & Mosher, H. S. (1966). The occurrence of tetrodotoxin (tarichatoxin) in Amphibia and the distribution of the toxin in the organs of newts (Taricha). Toxicon, 3(3), 195-203.
Contributed by Jaiva Larsen, MD