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- John Clare
Nate Nelson, his friend Scott, and I went on a camping trip to the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma and Arkansas 10 days ago. It was my first true camping trip and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the company. We saw quite a few species of amphibian and reptile, and I must give many thanks to Nate and Scott because they were the ones who found 99% of what we saw. I certainly learned a lot about field herping in the process. So here is what we saw.
In our campground we found this Dwarf American Toad (Bufo americanus charlesmithi) who called like a fiend. I nearly stepped on him while I was paying my campsite fees but Nate saved him. I'm a sucker for toads and I was very tempted to take him home with me.
We also found this leopard frog:
On the first day we travelled to the Caddo Mountains in Arkansas and in a small forest pond the guys came up with about 3 species of Ranid tadpoles and these Central Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens louisanensis):
Not long after that we found a stream which yielded several species of salamander:
Plethodon albagula, Western Slimy Salamander:
Eurycea multiplicata, Many-Ribbed Salamander:
Desmognathus brimleyorum, Ouachita Dusky Salamander:
And Nate found several Desmognathus brimleyorum larvae:
That night we travelled to a damp Rich Mountain in Arkansas and found all of the target species (and more):
Plethodon ouachitae, Rich Mountain Salamander, Rich Mountain Phase:
Plethodon serratus, Southern Redback:
Eagle-eyed Scott spotted this Gray Treefrog on a rock on top of the mountain:
After we retired for the night it rained quite heavily and the temperature dropped quite a bit. The next morning as we were about to leave Rich Mountain to check out some woodland in Oklahoma, we found a Three Toed Box Turtle crossing the highway (sorry no photo from me). We then drove to southeastern Oklahoma to visit a pond we knew to contain Sirens. Just as we were about to give up on Sirens, Nate netted this guy (who now lives with me thanks to my OK fishing license):
Siren intermedia nettingi, Lesser Siren:
We then drove into the nearby woods. While the guys dove into the trees I spotted this fellow and took a few photos:
Northern? Cricket Frog, Acris crepitans:
The guys found a Sequoyah Slimy Salamander, Plethodon sequyoah:
And a bunch of Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum:
And some beautiful Marbled Salamanders, Ambystoma opacum:
They even found a terrestrial Central Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens louisanensis:
As we were leaving these woods we passed some swampland and this Water Moccasin / Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus, crossing the road:
In a slightly different part of the same forest we found a stunning Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris (sadly I didn't get to photograph it).
As the light faded we drove north towards Winding Stair Mountain. Before we got there we tried to find Kiamichi Slimy Salamanders and Ambystoma annulatum but we only came up with more Plethodon serratus.
Later that evening we reached Winding Stair Mountain, which yielded more Redbacks and these:
Plethodon ouachitae, Winding Stair Phase:
Eurycea multiplicata, Many-Ribbed Salamander (Nate informs me that this is a yet to be split species/subpecies, and to my eye it is very different to the animal we found in the Caddo Mountains):
So that was the end of the trip for me because I had to drive to Kansas City for that weekend. Nate and Scott herped their way home and found Ambystoma annulatum, as well as Ozark Zigzags and Grotto Salamanders. Hopefully they can add photos to this thread.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to Nate and Scott for having me along.
-John
In our campground we found this Dwarf American Toad (Bufo americanus charlesmithi) who called like a fiend. I nearly stepped on him while I was paying my campsite fees but Nate saved him. I'm a sucker for toads and I was very tempted to take him home with me.
We also found this leopard frog:
On the first day we travelled to the Caddo Mountains in Arkansas and in a small forest pond the guys came up with about 3 species of Ranid tadpoles and these Central Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens louisanensis):
Not long after that we found a stream which yielded several species of salamander:
Plethodon albagula, Western Slimy Salamander:
Eurycea multiplicata, Many-Ribbed Salamander:
Desmognathus brimleyorum, Ouachita Dusky Salamander:
And Nate found several Desmognathus brimleyorum larvae:
That night we travelled to a damp Rich Mountain in Arkansas and found all of the target species (and more):
Plethodon ouachitae, Rich Mountain Salamander, Rich Mountain Phase:
Plethodon serratus, Southern Redback:
Eagle-eyed Scott spotted this Gray Treefrog on a rock on top of the mountain:
After we retired for the night it rained quite heavily and the temperature dropped quite a bit. The next morning as we were about to leave Rich Mountain to check out some woodland in Oklahoma, we found a Three Toed Box Turtle crossing the highway (sorry no photo from me). We then drove to southeastern Oklahoma to visit a pond we knew to contain Sirens. Just as we were about to give up on Sirens, Nate netted this guy (who now lives with me thanks to my OK fishing license):
Siren intermedia nettingi, Lesser Siren:
We then drove into the nearby woods. While the guys dove into the trees I spotted this fellow and took a few photos:
Northern? Cricket Frog, Acris crepitans:
The guys found a Sequoyah Slimy Salamander, Plethodon sequyoah:
And a bunch of Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum:
And some beautiful Marbled Salamanders, Ambystoma opacum:
They even found a terrestrial Central Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens louisanensis:
As we were leaving these woods we passed some swampland and this Water Moccasin / Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus, crossing the road:
In a slightly different part of the same forest we found a stunning Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris (sadly I didn't get to photograph it).
As the light faded we drove north towards Winding Stair Mountain. Before we got there we tried to find Kiamichi Slimy Salamanders and Ambystoma annulatum but we only came up with more Plethodon serratus.
Later that evening we reached Winding Stair Mountain, which yielded more Redbacks and these:
Plethodon ouachitae, Winding Stair Phase:
Eurycea multiplicata, Many-Ribbed Salamander (Nate informs me that this is a yet to be split species/subpecies, and to my eye it is very different to the animal we found in the Caddo Mountains):
So that was the end of the trip for me because I had to drive to Kansas City for that weekend. Nate and Scott herped their way home and found Ambystoma annulatum, as well as Ozark Zigzags and Grotto Salamanders. Hopefully they can add photos to this thread.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to Nate and Scott for having me along.
-John
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