2020 Status Update: Frosted Flatwoods Salamanders (Atlantic clade)

-
We can once again confirm that the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, is not extinct in Georgia, though we did not find many (yet) in our surveys of the last known population of the species on the East Coast — Fort Stewart Army Base, Liberty County, GA.
Larval Flatwoods Salamanders are typically the target of field surveys, as they are difficult to detect in adult and egg stages.
Larval Flatwoods Salamander, in situ
For some background on the species status and conservation efforts, see previous blog articles on the topic here.

Tobias, the Director of Research at the Amphibian Foundation, showing off the first Flatwoods Salamander he has ever detected in the wild.
Ben Stegenga of the Orianne Society came to help survey. Here he is detecting his very first Flatwoods Salamander larvae. We know how he feels :)
Always nice to see Little Grass Frogs, Pseudacris ocularis
In situ Stegenga

Occasionally, Southern Cricket Frogs, Acris gryllus, are bright red! Here's one that turned up in our dipnet.
Tobias exchanging sentiments with a Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis suaritus.
The AF 'Larvae Lugger' after making its way to the salamander ponds at Fort Stewart.
Can you find the Flatwoods Salamander? The markings of a larval Flatwoods Salamanders enable it to blend in with the flooded grasslands in which they live.

Tobias (AF) and Roy King (Fort Stewart Fish & Wildlife) sampling in one of the historically occupied wetlands on the base.

Location: Fort Stewart, GA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ask the frog staff: How many tadpoles actually survive into adulthood?

-
Image
Hi Mark. A frog friend and I were at the lily pond today and it was rife with tadpoles of various sizes and stages. Two questions: 1) It looked like the two ducks might be feeding on them ... do they? 2) How many tadpoles actually survive to frog adulthood? — Christine C. This particular topic has come up a lot recently, and one of our visitors beautifully photographed a heron eating a rather large bullfrog out of the lily pond in the Children's Garden . It was a graphic interaction, but demonstrates how vital amphibians are in food webs and one of the reasons we use to illustrate how important it is to keep amphibians around. Almost everything eats them, or their tadpoles, or their eggs ... or all three.  Many animals eat frogs exclusively (including some frog species!), and the herons at the Garden obviously love them. I have seen ducks eating tadpoles quite rapidly. In fact, my amphibian class last summer quantified how quickly different aquatic birds could consume ta
Read more

Amphibians and Solar Eclipses — What to Expect

-
Image
Green Tree Frogs are typically vocal during August and we may hear an increase in their breeding activity during the eclipse! Very little is known about amphibians and their response to a solar eclipse. We may even expect such a short lapse in photoperiod to be largely ignored by amphibians. One of the few reports on the subject comes from data gathered during a solar eclipse in New England in 1932. Wheeler, et al (1935) documented a lot of activity, with species such as Spring Peepers, Grey Tree Frogs and American Toads temporarily behaving as if it were night. We are encouraging our Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Program (maamp.us) participants to get out, if possible to their survey sites and record their observations during the eclipse. We would also encourage the entire Atlanta community to submit their observations of amphibians while they are out witnessing the event. Did you hear an increase in frog calling? Was there an increase in activity? Did the frogs, toads and sa
Read more

Species Highlight: Captive Breeding of Fringed Leaf Frogs

-
Image
Adult female on exhibit  Baby Fringed Leaf Frogs are so cute. These guys are growing fast! Two pairs of Cruziohyla craspedopus in amplexus The colors show up nice on the purple leaf ... Three pairs of Fringed Leaf Frogs in amplexus, and a clutch on new eggs on the leaf below the group on the right. This setup follows, as closely as possible, the suggestions of Erik Anderson.
Read more