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Hi all. This is a mammoth post but I hope you all enjoy it. In April and early May this year I was lucky enough to make several visits to the Ouachita Mountains and the Ozarks of Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas, USA. These areas constitute the only significant highland region between the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America. Here I recount all of the species I encountered, including not only salamanders but also anurans and reptiles. The maps presented here were prepared by me and were inspired by Andy Schmidt's thread from 2004.
As you can see in the map below, these two regions are divided by the mighty Arkansas River and together they stretch from eastern/southeastern Oklahoma all the way to the border of Missouri with Illinois. Geologically, the two areas are distinct in character. An uprising event known as the Ouachita orogeny occured about 300 million years ago. Subduction (when one plate is forced below another) caused what was then sea floor to rise to form the fold mountains we know today as the Ouachitas. The Ouachita mountains mainly consist of sedimentary rocks like sandstone, shale and chert, as well as limestones. The Ozark region was also forced upwards by this event but much of the Ozarks was above sea level and as a result it is geologically distinct because it also possesses a lot of exposed or near-surface igneous rock (i.e. of volcanic origin). Both regions present a variety of habitats from deep fields of talus/scree (particularly in the Ouachitas) to river valleys, all covered in deciduous, coniferous and mixed woodland.
There are several endemic species of salamander (i.e. found nowhere else but here) - mostly Plethodontids - and several are only found in one of the two areas rather than both. In the Ouachitas, some species and races are confined to single mountains. You can see a list of all of the Plethodontids and other salamander species in the map below.
Ozarks
I spent much of an April weekend in the Springfield Plateau and Boston Mountains of the southern Ozarks. One of my first encounters was with reptiles. In the Boston Mountains not far from each other I found this Prairie Ring-Neck Snake, Diadophis punctatus regalis, and juvenile Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus. In fact I saw 4 of these snakes over the trips.
And this is their habitat:
At the southern edge of the Springfield Plateau, further north in Arkansas near the border with Oklahoma, I found several Dark-Sided Salamanders, Eurycea longicauda melanopleura, walking about on country roads on a very wet night. Here's an impressive adult male:
A few miles away in hilly forest I found an Ozark Zigzag, Plethodon angusticlavius:
Here's his habitat:
About an hour west of here in Eastern Oklahoma, following tips from Nate Nelson, I encountered some helpful and well known herpetologists who were also on the prowl for salamanders. Thanks to them I got to observe several Cave Salamanders, Eurycea lucifuga, at the outflow of an underground water pipe:
And at the same pool we found this pair of Southern Leopard Frogs, Rana sphenocephala:
And less than a mile away at the mouth of an underground spring we found larvae of the Grotto Salamander, Eurycea spelea:
I really want to see a metamorphosed specimen of this species because the adults live compltely underground. In fact they have adapted so well to live in the dark that they grow skin over their eyes at metamorphosis! You can see a photo by Nate Nelson of an adult Eurycea spelea in this thread.
About an hour south of this area, again in Oklahoma, I caught many Oklahoma Salamanders, Eurycea tynerensis, in a chert-gravel creek. This species has neotenic and metamorphic populations. The metamorphs were previously described as Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster until Ron Bonett cleared up the confusion a few years ago:
Eurycea tynerensis is closely allied with Eurycea multiplicata, a species not found in the Ozarks but abundant south of the Arkansas River in the Ouachitas (more on that species later). Here's the habitat where the E. tynerensis were found, a shallow chert-bottomed stream:
The only other Plethodontid found in the Ozarks is the Western Slimy Salamander, Plethodon albagula. This species is not endemic to the region though and I didn't encounter any this spring (honestly I wasn't looking). Here's a photo from my Ouachita trip in November 2008:
As described in the table beside the first map in this post, there are several other salamander species in the Ozarks, but the only endemics are the Ozark Hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, which is now very rare and only found in a small number of creeks in southern Missouri, and the Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum. More on the Ringed Salamander later in this post.
Ouachita Mountains
Surprisingly, despite their much smaller area when compared to the Ozarks, the Ouachitas have more endemics and quite a different selection of species. Since April 8th this year I've visited the Ouachitas four times (!!!). I actually posted an invite on the forum a few days before that first trip on April 8th but no one was interested (shame on you guys), so it's time to rub it in!
Here's a subsection of the previous map, showing the Plethodontids of the region and highlighting the species/races found only in small areas:
It should be stated that while we here at Caudata.org have a policy of not naming locations to find salamanders, some of these species are only found on a particular mountain and their names give these locations away. Consequently, I am sure you will understand the few exceptions I am making here. Rest assured that the species described are abundant where they are found, and many enjoy some degree of protection.
Of the 4 trips I made to the Ouachitas since the beginning of April, one was with Mike Graziano and his friend Dan. I had never met Mike before but it was good to put a face and person to the name. Mike's got enough energy for 5 people and is very good at spotting promising salamander habitat (all credit to Mike for turning up the Hemidactylium scutatum you will see in a few moments).
Looking at the large map at the top of this post you can see that there are 3 species of Slimy Salamander in the Ouachitas: the Western Slimy (Plethodon algabula), the Kiamichi Slimy (Plethodon kiamichi) and the Sequoyah Slimy (Plethodon sequoyah). The last two are endemic to the area - in fact the Kiamichi Slimy is only found between Winding Stair/Buffalo Mountain and Kiamichi Mountain (it's the large black salamander pictured below Winding Stair Mountain in the Ouachita map). Plethodon sequoyah is only found south of Broken Bow Lake in southeastern Oklahoma and adjoining Arkansas. I didn't look for this species this spring but here's a photo from last November:
The other Plethodon species that have photos in specific locations on this map are the Ouachita endemics P. ouachitae (3 distinct forms, each on a different Mountain), P. fourchensis on Fourche Mountain, and P. caddoensis in the Caddo Mountains. Superficially these look like Slimys (and if you annoy them they will slime you...) but their body shapes are quite distinct from the Slimys and they exist at higher elevations where they seem to have out-competed the Slimys. Many people have noted that these endemics suffer much more frequently from parasitic chiggers - you'll see the tell-tale red bumps on some of these photos - and this has been my experience too.
At a lake at the northern foot of Winding Stair Mountain I found this neonate Western Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma, sunning itself on a hillside. Note the yellow-ish tail tip, which indicates it's a youngster.
Elsewhere at that lake there were calling males of the Dwarf American Toad, Bufo americanus charlesmithi, and some called even during the sunny day time. As it turned out, April was their major breeding month for this anuran and I ended up seeing plenty. Here's a selection of photographs.
Calling male:
Pair in amplexus on their way to breed:
Egg strings:
Here's the pond where those eggs and the male were photographed:
In the same pond where those egg strings were found there were also Pseudacris calling, newly hatched Spotted Salamander larvae (Ambystoma maculatum) - a species common throughout the region - and there were egg masses in the process of hatching:
This fellow, a Cajun Chorus Frog, Pseudacris fouquettei, was found after heavy rain by a flooded ditch not far from the Bufo pond:
Up on Winding Stair Mountain in Oklahoma, this shaded, northern aspect gulley yielded quite the treasure trove (note the talus on the slope in the upper left of the photo):
This Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris, was slightly injured and rather skinny when found. These frogs often over winter in refuges deep in talus piles, from which they emerge in the spring rather emaciated.
The first target in this area was obviously the Winding Stair Phase of the Rich Mountain Salamander, Plethodon ouachitae. This phase is only found on Winding Stair Mountain and Buffalo Mountain (north west part of the Ouachita Map above). This phase usually has very small brassy/reddish flecks along the back. As it turned out they weren't playing hard to get:
A particularly pretty individual and the first of many Southern Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon serratus, a species found all over the Ouachitas and quite a beautiful, if small, salamander:
And the first of several Many-Ribbed Salamanders, Eurycea multiplicata. Whereas the Plethodon species were found mainly under rocks near the stream, I've found these Eurycea most frequently in or right beside water.
The gulley was at about the right height where, as well as Plethodon ouachitae, the Kiamichi Slimy Salamander, Plethodon kiamichi, was also present:
This is a view of Winding Stair Mountain (center and left) and the westernmost end of Rich Mountain (center-right) as seen looking north from the top of Kiamichi Mountain in Oklahoma:
Rich Mountain is the highest peak in the area (getting up to about 2700 feet) and runs from Oklahoma all the way to the town of Mena in Arkansas. You can see how sharply ridged it is if you look at the Ouachita map I presented earlier in this post. The Rich Mountain phase of Plethodon ouachitae (the entire species is known as the Rich Mountain Salamander, which might be confusing if you're new at this) is distinctly different in colouration to the Winding Stair Phase you saw earlier and the Kiamichi Phase you will see later. The Rich Mountain Phase tends to have a lot of red-brown patching along the back and it's only found on Rich Mountain and nearby Black Fork Mountain. This individual was found on the Arkansas side of Rich Mountain on a shaded northern aspect slope:
And here's prime P. ouachitae habitat where that fellow and others were found:
This Coal skink, Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis, was also on Rich Mountain, hiding out under rocks on a cold damp day:
As mentioned earlier, the Southern Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon serratus, occurs throughout the region, and this specimen is an example of the "Lead-Back" phase. As you can probably tell, this was taken during the pouring rain (see the water?), so not the greatest photo:
Conditions on Rich Mountain are particularly harsh on top of the mountain with the exposure to extreme winds and a relatively short growing season due to the altitude and the prolonged winters, so many of the trees on the summit, like these oaks, are stunted:
Like the P. ouachitae habitat shot a few photos back, it's interesting to note the lack of leaves on these trees in mid April, while further down the mountain and at ground level all of the trees and shrubs are in leaf.
If you look back at the Ouachitas map you will see that northeast of Rich Mountain we have Fourche Mountain, which has its own species, the Fourche Mountain Salamander, Plethodon fourchensis. On the western edge of this mountain there is a hybridization zone between Rich Mountain phase P. ouachitae and P. fourchensis. Here's a hazy view of Fourche Mountain from the eastern end of Rich Mountain, facing northeast. You can see the eastern peak of Fourche Mountain, known as Buck Knob, faintly in the distance on the right.
On the way up Fourche Mountain on my first trip, Mike found some Four-Toed Salamander females, Hemidactylium scutatum, brooding their eggs:
Here's a view of a female he found elsewhere in the mountains:
P. fouchensis was recently separated from P. ouachitae (if you take a look at Petranka's Salamanders of the United States and Canada you see he includes it in P. ouachitae, though he does indicate it was teetering on the edge of species status at his time of writing). It's a large Plethodon, and many enthusiasts consider it one of the more handsome species in the area. Perhaps the most indicative trait, though not found in all individuals, is the paired, large white spots on the back of the animals. This is a particularly handsome (and large) individual found under a lichen-covered rock near Buck Knob:
And here's the habitat where this individual was found:
A little down the mountain from the last photo, this man-made pond was found on the shoulder between two ridges. For about the 10th time on the trip I saw Bufo americanus charlesmithi eggs/tadpoles, but also Ambystoma maculatum egg masses, Southern Leopard Frog Tadpoles and for the first time, larvae of the Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum, an Ozark/Ouachita endemic.
And here is a juvenile Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum:
South of Fourche Mountain there is another upland area, the Caddo Mountains (see the Ouachita map above). You can see them in the distance in this shot, taken from Rich Mountain facing southeast - they are the peaks furthest away.
This area too has its own Plethodon species, P. caddoensis. It is a smaller species than P. ouachitae and P. fourchensis, and genetically more distinct from these species than they are from each other. I found this individual walking around in the middle of a huge thunder storm in a ravine in the northern Caddos. As it turned out, at the same time a few miles away in the town of Mena (where I had eaten lunch a few hours before), a tornado was tearing up the town and killing 3 people. I visited the town 3 more times over the following few weeks and there was still temporary roofing on many of the houses after that time. Anyhow, back to the salamanders... Here's that P. caddoensis:
I also found several P. serratus and a young Yellow-bellied Watersnake during the storm. There was also another Coal Skink.
Here's the habitat:
The following morning yielded this fellow - a male Northern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus:
One evening I also encountered this Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, in the same area, catching the last of the evening sunshine on a trail:
At a lower altitude in the Northern Caddos, this hidden stream has been known to yield Plethodon albagula, Eurycea multiplicata, and my target on the day this photo was taken, Desmognathus brimleyorum, the Ouachita Dusky Salamander:
And sure enough, I found some including this large adult Ouachita Dusky (aka sausage with legs). These guys are big - one of the biggest Desmognathus species - and they move like lightning when it's wet. They are found under rocks in the stream or at the water's edge.
Juveniles are also common - I even saw a larva but couldn't catch it this time around - see last November's thread for a photo of one of those - but the juveniles are much more brightly coloured than adults:
Back in Oklahoma on Kiamichi Mountain just last weekend, I finally came up with this male Kiamichi Mountain Phase of the Rich Mountain Salamander, Plethodon ouachitae. Note the lack of the red spotting on the back. Reading the literature, this phase is borderline species status in terms of genetic distance from the Rich Mountain phase of P. ouachitae.
Here's a view of Kiamichi Mountain from Rich Mountain:
Elsewhere on Kiamichi Mountain I met this charming little fellow, a Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula holbrooki:
And this very large (probably female) Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus:
Conclusion
Don't look now, but that was all of the Plethodontids in the Ozarks and the Ouachitas. But that's not all. A few times on my way to and from the Ouachitas I went through Central Oklahoma on the prowl for Woodhouse's Toad, Bufo woodhousii, and the Great Plains Toad, Bufo cognatus. I very much wanted to see the latter species, a well-known explosive breeder after heavy rains. A couple of weeks ago I finally achieved my goal:
So that's the end of that chapter of my adventures for now (I had to resist posting Siren intermedia nettingi photos). I hope you have enjoyed the eye candy. Now, if only I could stop thinking about photographing the Plethodon ouachitae on Black Fork Mountain...
As you can see in the map below, these two regions are divided by the mighty Arkansas River and together they stretch from eastern/southeastern Oklahoma all the way to the border of Missouri with Illinois. Geologically, the two areas are distinct in character. An uprising event known as the Ouachita orogeny occured about 300 million years ago. Subduction (when one plate is forced below another) caused what was then sea floor to rise to form the fold mountains we know today as the Ouachitas. The Ouachita mountains mainly consist of sedimentary rocks like sandstone, shale and chert, as well as limestones. The Ozark region was also forced upwards by this event but much of the Ozarks was above sea level and as a result it is geologically distinct because it also possesses a lot of exposed or near-surface igneous rock (i.e. of volcanic origin). Both regions present a variety of habitats from deep fields of talus/scree (particularly in the Ouachitas) to river valleys, all covered in deciduous, coniferous and mixed woodland.
There are several endemic species of salamander (i.e. found nowhere else but here) - mostly Plethodontids - and several are only found in one of the two areas rather than both. In the Ouachitas, some species and races are confined to single mountains. You can see a list of all of the Plethodontids and other salamander species in the map below.
Ozarks
I spent much of an April weekend in the Springfield Plateau and Boston Mountains of the southern Ozarks. One of my first encounters was with reptiles. In the Boston Mountains not far from each other I found this Prairie Ring-Neck Snake, Diadophis punctatus regalis, and juvenile Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus. In fact I saw 4 of these snakes over the trips.
And this is their habitat:
At the southern edge of the Springfield Plateau, further north in Arkansas near the border with Oklahoma, I found several Dark-Sided Salamanders, Eurycea longicauda melanopleura, walking about on country roads on a very wet night. Here's an impressive adult male:
A few miles away in hilly forest I found an Ozark Zigzag, Plethodon angusticlavius:
Here's his habitat:
About an hour west of here in Eastern Oklahoma, following tips from Nate Nelson, I encountered some helpful and well known herpetologists who were also on the prowl for salamanders. Thanks to them I got to observe several Cave Salamanders, Eurycea lucifuga, at the outflow of an underground water pipe:
And at the same pool we found this pair of Southern Leopard Frogs, Rana sphenocephala:
And less than a mile away at the mouth of an underground spring we found larvae of the Grotto Salamander, Eurycea spelea:
I really want to see a metamorphosed specimen of this species because the adults live compltely underground. In fact they have adapted so well to live in the dark that they grow skin over their eyes at metamorphosis! You can see a photo by Nate Nelson of an adult Eurycea spelea in this thread.
About an hour south of this area, again in Oklahoma, I caught many Oklahoma Salamanders, Eurycea tynerensis, in a chert-gravel creek. This species has neotenic and metamorphic populations. The metamorphs were previously described as Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster until Ron Bonett cleared up the confusion a few years ago:
Eurycea tynerensis is closely allied with Eurycea multiplicata, a species not found in the Ozarks but abundant south of the Arkansas River in the Ouachitas (more on that species later). Here's the habitat where the E. tynerensis were found, a shallow chert-bottomed stream:
The only other Plethodontid found in the Ozarks is the Western Slimy Salamander, Plethodon albagula. This species is not endemic to the region though and I didn't encounter any this spring (honestly I wasn't looking). Here's a photo from my Ouachita trip in November 2008:
As described in the table beside the first map in this post, there are several other salamander species in the Ozarks, but the only endemics are the Ozark Hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, which is now very rare and only found in a small number of creeks in southern Missouri, and the Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum. More on the Ringed Salamander later in this post.
Ouachita Mountains
Surprisingly, despite their much smaller area when compared to the Ozarks, the Ouachitas have more endemics and quite a different selection of species. Since April 8th this year I've visited the Ouachitas four times (!!!). I actually posted an invite on the forum a few days before that first trip on April 8th but no one was interested (shame on you guys), so it's time to rub it in!
Here's a subsection of the previous map, showing the Plethodontids of the region and highlighting the species/races found only in small areas:
It should be stated that while we here at Caudata.org have a policy of not naming locations to find salamanders, some of these species are only found on a particular mountain and their names give these locations away. Consequently, I am sure you will understand the few exceptions I am making here. Rest assured that the species described are abundant where they are found, and many enjoy some degree of protection.
Of the 4 trips I made to the Ouachitas since the beginning of April, one was with Mike Graziano and his friend Dan. I had never met Mike before but it was good to put a face and person to the name. Mike's got enough energy for 5 people and is very good at spotting promising salamander habitat (all credit to Mike for turning up the Hemidactylium scutatum you will see in a few moments).
Looking at the large map at the top of this post you can see that there are 3 species of Slimy Salamander in the Ouachitas: the Western Slimy (Plethodon algabula), the Kiamichi Slimy (Plethodon kiamichi) and the Sequoyah Slimy (Plethodon sequoyah). The last two are endemic to the area - in fact the Kiamichi Slimy is only found between Winding Stair/Buffalo Mountain and Kiamichi Mountain (it's the large black salamander pictured below Winding Stair Mountain in the Ouachita map). Plethodon sequoyah is only found south of Broken Bow Lake in southeastern Oklahoma and adjoining Arkansas. I didn't look for this species this spring but here's a photo from last November:
The other Plethodon species that have photos in specific locations on this map are the Ouachita endemics P. ouachitae (3 distinct forms, each on a different Mountain), P. fourchensis on Fourche Mountain, and P. caddoensis in the Caddo Mountains. Superficially these look like Slimys (and if you annoy them they will slime you...) but their body shapes are quite distinct from the Slimys and they exist at higher elevations where they seem to have out-competed the Slimys. Many people have noted that these endemics suffer much more frequently from parasitic chiggers - you'll see the tell-tale red bumps on some of these photos - and this has been my experience too.
At a lake at the northern foot of Winding Stair Mountain I found this neonate Western Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma, sunning itself on a hillside. Note the yellow-ish tail tip, which indicates it's a youngster.
Elsewhere at that lake there were calling males of the Dwarf American Toad, Bufo americanus charlesmithi, and some called even during the sunny day time. As it turned out, April was their major breeding month for this anuran and I ended up seeing plenty. Here's a selection of photographs.
Calling male:
Pair in amplexus on their way to breed:
Egg strings:
Here's the pond where those eggs and the male were photographed:
In the same pond where those egg strings were found there were also Pseudacris calling, newly hatched Spotted Salamander larvae (Ambystoma maculatum) - a species common throughout the region - and there were egg masses in the process of hatching:
This fellow, a Cajun Chorus Frog, Pseudacris fouquettei, was found after heavy rain by a flooded ditch not far from the Bufo pond:
Up on Winding Stair Mountain in Oklahoma, this shaded, northern aspect gulley yielded quite the treasure trove (note the talus on the slope in the upper left of the photo):
This Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris, was slightly injured and rather skinny when found. These frogs often over winter in refuges deep in talus piles, from which they emerge in the spring rather emaciated.
The first target in this area was obviously the Winding Stair Phase of the Rich Mountain Salamander, Plethodon ouachitae. This phase is only found on Winding Stair Mountain and Buffalo Mountain (north west part of the Ouachita Map above). This phase usually has very small brassy/reddish flecks along the back. As it turned out they weren't playing hard to get:
A particularly pretty individual and the first of many Southern Red-Backed Salamanders, Plethodon serratus, a species found all over the Ouachitas and quite a beautiful, if small, salamander:
And the first of several Many-Ribbed Salamanders, Eurycea multiplicata. Whereas the Plethodon species were found mainly under rocks near the stream, I've found these Eurycea most frequently in or right beside water.
The gulley was at about the right height where, as well as Plethodon ouachitae, the Kiamichi Slimy Salamander, Plethodon kiamichi, was also present:
This is a view of Winding Stair Mountain (center and left) and the westernmost end of Rich Mountain (center-right) as seen looking north from the top of Kiamichi Mountain in Oklahoma:
Rich Mountain is the highest peak in the area (getting up to about 2700 feet) and runs from Oklahoma all the way to the town of Mena in Arkansas. You can see how sharply ridged it is if you look at the Ouachita map I presented earlier in this post. The Rich Mountain phase of Plethodon ouachitae (the entire species is known as the Rich Mountain Salamander, which might be confusing if you're new at this) is distinctly different in colouration to the Winding Stair Phase you saw earlier and the Kiamichi Phase you will see later. The Rich Mountain Phase tends to have a lot of red-brown patching along the back and it's only found on Rich Mountain and nearby Black Fork Mountain. This individual was found on the Arkansas side of Rich Mountain on a shaded northern aspect slope:
And here's prime P. ouachitae habitat where that fellow and others were found:
This Coal skink, Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis, was also on Rich Mountain, hiding out under rocks on a cold damp day:
As mentioned earlier, the Southern Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon serratus, occurs throughout the region, and this specimen is an example of the "Lead-Back" phase. As you can probably tell, this was taken during the pouring rain (see the water?), so not the greatest photo:
Conditions on Rich Mountain are particularly harsh on top of the mountain with the exposure to extreme winds and a relatively short growing season due to the altitude and the prolonged winters, so many of the trees on the summit, like these oaks, are stunted:
Like the P. ouachitae habitat shot a few photos back, it's interesting to note the lack of leaves on these trees in mid April, while further down the mountain and at ground level all of the trees and shrubs are in leaf.
If you look back at the Ouachitas map you will see that northeast of Rich Mountain we have Fourche Mountain, which has its own species, the Fourche Mountain Salamander, Plethodon fourchensis. On the western edge of this mountain there is a hybridization zone between Rich Mountain phase P. ouachitae and P. fourchensis. Here's a hazy view of Fourche Mountain from the eastern end of Rich Mountain, facing northeast. You can see the eastern peak of Fourche Mountain, known as Buck Knob, faintly in the distance on the right.
On the way up Fourche Mountain on my first trip, Mike found some Four-Toed Salamander females, Hemidactylium scutatum, brooding their eggs:
Here's a view of a female he found elsewhere in the mountains:
P. fouchensis was recently separated from P. ouachitae (if you take a look at Petranka's Salamanders of the United States and Canada you see he includes it in P. ouachitae, though he does indicate it was teetering on the edge of species status at his time of writing). It's a large Plethodon, and many enthusiasts consider it one of the more handsome species in the area. Perhaps the most indicative trait, though not found in all individuals, is the paired, large white spots on the back of the animals. This is a particularly handsome (and large) individual found under a lichen-covered rock near Buck Knob:
And here's the habitat where this individual was found:
A little down the mountain from the last photo, this man-made pond was found on the shoulder between two ridges. For about the 10th time on the trip I saw Bufo americanus charlesmithi eggs/tadpoles, but also Ambystoma maculatum egg masses, Southern Leopard Frog Tadpoles and for the first time, larvae of the Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum, an Ozark/Ouachita endemic.
And here is a juvenile Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum:
South of Fourche Mountain there is another upland area, the Caddo Mountains (see the Ouachita map above). You can see them in the distance in this shot, taken from Rich Mountain facing southeast - they are the peaks furthest away.
This area too has its own Plethodon species, P. caddoensis. It is a smaller species than P. ouachitae and P. fourchensis, and genetically more distinct from these species than they are from each other. I found this individual walking around in the middle of a huge thunder storm in a ravine in the northern Caddos. As it turned out, at the same time a few miles away in the town of Mena (where I had eaten lunch a few hours before), a tornado was tearing up the town and killing 3 people. I visited the town 3 more times over the following few weeks and there was still temporary roofing on many of the houses after that time. Anyhow, back to the salamanders... Here's that P. caddoensis:
I also found several P. serratus and a young Yellow-bellied Watersnake during the storm. There was also another Coal Skink.
Here's the habitat:
The following morning yielded this fellow - a male Northern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus:
One evening I also encountered this Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, in the same area, catching the last of the evening sunshine on a trail:
At a lower altitude in the Northern Caddos, this hidden stream has been known to yield Plethodon albagula, Eurycea multiplicata, and my target on the day this photo was taken, Desmognathus brimleyorum, the Ouachita Dusky Salamander:
And sure enough, I found some including this large adult Ouachita Dusky (aka sausage with legs). These guys are big - one of the biggest Desmognathus species - and they move like lightning when it's wet. They are found under rocks in the stream or at the water's edge.
Juveniles are also common - I even saw a larva but couldn't catch it this time around - see last November's thread for a photo of one of those - but the juveniles are much more brightly coloured than adults:
Back in Oklahoma on Kiamichi Mountain just last weekend, I finally came up with this male Kiamichi Mountain Phase of the Rich Mountain Salamander, Plethodon ouachitae. Note the lack of the red spotting on the back. Reading the literature, this phase is borderline species status in terms of genetic distance from the Rich Mountain phase of P. ouachitae.
Here's a view of Kiamichi Mountain from Rich Mountain:
Elsewhere on Kiamichi Mountain I met this charming little fellow, a Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula holbrooki:
And this very large (probably female) Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus:
Conclusion
Don't look now, but that was all of the Plethodontids in the Ozarks and the Ouachitas. But that's not all. A few times on my way to and from the Ouachitas I went through Central Oklahoma on the prowl for Woodhouse's Toad, Bufo woodhousii, and the Great Plains Toad, Bufo cognatus. I very much wanted to see the latter species, a well-known explosive breeder after heavy rains. A couple of weeks ago I finally achieved my goal:
So that's the end of that chapter of my adventures for now (I had to resist posting Siren intermedia nettingi photos). I hope you have enjoyed the eye candy. Now, if only I could stop thinking about photographing the Plethodon ouachitae on Black Fork Mountain...
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