Species not detected from previous surveys

Species not detected from previous surveys While the project is within the known range of 51 species of reptiles and amphibians, not every species would be expected to occur due to the fact that some species’ habitats are not present in the Preserve (e.g. large grasslands, large fishless vernal pools, sandy soils) and other species may be absent due to land use history and/or persecution (e.g. timber rattlesnakes [Crotalus horridus]). Inventory surveys typically capture a snapshot of breeding or seasonal activity, and differences in methodology can account for differences in species observed between the 2020 – 2021 inventory and 2007 – 2008 surveys. We used coverboards to increase the probability of detecting snakes and salamanders, but coverboards take time to create the sheltered microhabitat that appeals to herpetofauna. It usually takes months to even years to significantly have an increase in detection of species under boards. The 2008 surveys recorded presence of the black rat snake (Pantherophis spiloides), rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivuso), slimy salamander (Plethodon glutinosus), marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum), and Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum), and a recent 2019 flora inventory recorded an eastern hog-nose snake (Heterodon platirhinos). While coverboards are useful for increasing the likelihood of encountering many snakes, some species, such as rough green snakes and eastern hognose snakes, are more often found through chance encounters while they are actively foraging during the day. The rough green snake can be very difficult to detect due to its arboreal nature and tendency to blend into the vegetation of shrubs and small trees. It is likely that the reptile and amphibian species detected in 2008 are present in the Preserve due to the presence of suitable habitat, although they were not detected during the 2020 – 2021 inventory surveys.

Biologists attempted to verify the pre-2008 record of the four toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) in the Preserve, but did not observe this species or its preferred breeding habitat. The four toed salamander is a state species of special concern, and requires forested, ephemeral pools with moss substrate growing on rocks, boulders, tree roots, and other outcrops for breeding. The species lays eggs hidden in the moss cover and guards these eggs until larvae hatch and drop into the water (Minton 2001). According to Peel (2008), this species was encountered in the area east of Griffy Lake, but this record could not be verified (personal communication, Nate Engbrecht, February 2020). During early spring, when the species can be found under mossy tussocks, biologists targeted a VES survey for the four-toed salamander east of Griffy Lake, but did not encounter the species. We did not observe forested wetlands with the mossy tussock substrate that the species prefers, and it has been determined that it is unlikely that the four-toed salamander would be found breeding in the Preserve.

We did not detect the Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) during call surveys; a species that was recorded breeding during 2008 surveys (Peel et al. 2008). Fowler’s toads typically begin breeding following the American toad’s (Anaxyrus americanus) breeding season, and Fowler’s toads can usually be heard in the weeks after American toads begin calling. Although we expected to hear Fowler’s toads during call surveys, American toads were the dominant and most common species. According to Minton (2001), there is a tendency for one species to be relatively rare while the other is common, which appears to be the case observed at the Preserve.