Conservation Status of Amphibians in the Northeast

1. Overall Risk

Ambystoma opacumForty-three of 90 (48%) amphibian species in the Northeast are at some level of risk, i.e., species are listed in at least one NE state as either special concern (with or without protection), threatened, or endangered. These include 23 of 59 (39%) salamanders and 16 of 31 (52%) anurans. In the Northeast, the majority of declining amphibian species breed in streams and ephemeral pools according to Wyman (1992, unpublished data) in Vial and Saylor (1993). A potential cause for this is the fact that vernal pools and temporary streams are rarely protected by states in this region. For anurans, declines are primarily noted in the southern portions of the Northeast, which often corresponds to the northern limits of these species' ranges (Vial and Saylor 1993).

2. Federally Threatened and Endangered Species

Amphibians in the Northeast that are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 include the federally threatened Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi) and the federally endangered Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah).

State Extirpations

There are two cases in which native species have been extirpated (i.e., become locally extinct) from a state within the Northeast region. Both the greater siren (Siren lacertina) and the common mudpuppy (Necturus m. maculosus) are listed as extirpated from MD, though additional surveys need to be conducted. The single historical record for S. lacertina on the eastern shore of MD was later classified as S. intermedia. These two large salamander species are found in large rivers and swamps. Both are long-lived, bottom-dwelling carnivores and are susceptible to contaminant effects from bioaccumulation (Gendron et al. 1995). These species, along with other members of the Cryptobranchidae, Sirenidae, Amphiumidae, and Proteidae deserve special attention.

State Threatened and Endangered Species

Beyond federally listed species, special attention should be devoted to species included on multiple state threatened and endangered lists in the Northeast. In some cases, these species are declining at the northern edges of their ranges. State listings tend to overemphasize distributional edges, and different states may list species based on different criteria.

Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)
State-endangered in DE, NJ, NY, VA
State-threatened in MD
Blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale)
State-endangered in NJ
State-threatened in CT
Green salamander (Aneides aeneus)
State-endangered in MD
State-threatened in PA
Eastern mud salamander (Pseudotriton m. montanus)
State-endangered in PA
State-threatened in NJ
Barking tree frog (Hyla gratiosa)
State-endangered in DE, MD
State-threatened in VA
Eastern spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii)
State-endangered in CT
State-threatened in MA
Species with limited distributions in the Northeast could be particularly susceptible to catastrophes or demographic or environmental stochastic events. Examples of these species include Siren intermedia, Necturus punctatus, Ambystoma barbouri, A. talpoideum, A. texanum, Gyrinophilus subterraneus, Plethodon hubrichti, and P. shenandoah.

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References

Gendron, A.D., C.A. Bishop, J.L. DesGranges, G. Van Der Kraak, R. Fortin, and A. Hontela. 1995. Impact of reproductive and developmental toxicants of wild populations of mudpuppy in Quebec and Ontario. DAPCAN V Abstracts, Fifth Annual Meeting of the Task Force on Declining Amphibian Populations in Canada, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 1995, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario.

Vial, J.L., and L. Saylor. 1993. The Status of Amphibian Populations: A Compilation and Analysis. IUCN/SSC Declining Amphibian Population Task Force Document No. 1. 98 pp.

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