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List of amphibians of Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of amphibians of Pennsylvania as listed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.[1] Notes on ranges provided by Pennsylvania Amphibian & Reptile Survey.[2] Pennsylvania has 41 native species of amphibians, with 23 salamanders and newts, and 18 species of frogs and toads. Of these species, 13 are of special concern, 2 are threatened, 6 are endangered, and 1 species is extirpated.

Caudata - newts and salamanders

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Family: Ambystomatidae - mole salamanders

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Jefferson salamander Ambystoma jeffersonianum
(Green, 1827)
Species of special concern Females of this species can form a unisexual form that cannot be identified to species level without DNA testing[3] Statewide, seemingly absent from near Philadelphia and the surrounding counties
Blue-spotted salamander Ambystoma laterale
Hallowell, 1856
Endangered Females of this species can form a unisexual form that cannot be identified to species level without DNA testing[3] Allegheny National Forest and surrounding areas; also a single record from Crawford County[4] and Northampton County[2]
Spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum
(Shaw, 1802)
Abundant Statewide
Marbled salamander Ambystoma opacum
(Gravenhorst, 1807)
Species of special concern Primarily southeastern counties, extends into central counties, scattered records in eastern counties
Tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum
(Green, 1825)
Extirpated[5] Females of this species can form a unisexual form that cannot be identified to species level without DNA testing[3] Formerly known from Allegheny County and Cumberland County, has not been recorded in over a century

Family: Cryptobranchidae - giant salamanders

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Eastern hellbender Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis
(Daudin, 1803)
Species of special concern Nominate subspecies, state amphibian Northern and western counties, scattered records through south-central counties

Family: Plethodontidae - lungless salamanders

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Green salamander Aneides aeneus
(Cope & Packard, 1881)
Threatened Fayette County
Northern dusky salamander Desmognathus fuscus
(Rafinesque, 1820)
Abundant Statewide
Seal salamander Desmognathus monticola
Dunn, 1916
Species of special concern Southwestern counties
Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander Desmognathus ochrophaeus
Cope, 1859
Abundant Statewide except southeast and some central counties
Northern two-lined salamander Eurycea bislineata
(Green, 1818)
Abundant Statewide
Eastern long-tailed salamander Eurycea longicauda longicauda
(Green, 1818)
Abundant Nominate subspecies Statewide, but notably absent from Wayne County and Erie County
Northern spring salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus
(Green, 1827)
Abundant Nominate subspecies Statewide except southeast
Four-toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum
(Tschudi, 1838)
Abundant Statewide
Eastern red-backed salamander Plethodon cinereus
(Green, 1818)
Abundant Statewide
Northern ravine salamander Plethodon electromorphus
Highton, 1999
Species of special concern Southwestern counties
Northern slimy salamander Plethodon glutinosus
(Green, 1818)
Abundant Statewide
Valley and ridge salamander Plethodon hoffmani
Highton, 1972
Species of special concern Central and south-central counties
Wehrle's salamander Plethodon wehrlei
Fowler and Dunn, 1917
Abundant North-central and west-central counties
Eastern mud salamander Pseudotriton montanus montanus
Baird, 1850
Endangered Nominate subspecies Franklin County and Cumberland County
Northern red salamander Pseudotriton ruber ruber
(Latreille, 1801)
Abundant Nominate subspecies Statewide

Family: Proteidae - Mudpuppies

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Common mudpuppy Necturus maculosus maculosus
(Rafinesque, 1818)
Species of special concern Nominate subspecies Western counties


Family: Salamandridae - Newts

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Red-spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens
(Rafinesque, 1820)
Abundant Nominate subspecies Statewide

Anura - frogs and toads

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Family: Bufonidae - true toads

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Eastern American toad Anaxyrus americanus americanus
(Holbrook, 1836)
Abundant Statewide
Fowler's toad Anaxyrus fowleri
(Hinckley, 1882)
Species of special concern Primarily eastern, with some scattered central and western observations and a notable population on Presque Isle State Park in Erie County[6]

Family: Hylidae - tree frogs

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Northern cricket frog Acris crepitans
Baird, 1854
Endangered If subspecies are recognized, it would be the nominate subspecies Acris crepitans crepitans Southeastern, south-central, and Luzerne County
Cope's gray treefrog Dryophytes chrysoscelis
(Cope, 1880)
Species of special concern Usually indistinguishable from Dryophytes versicolor without DNA analysis or analysis of mating call[7]

Sometimes placed in the genus Hyla

Southeastern and southwestern counties
Gray treefrog Dryophytes versicolor
(Le Conte, 1825)
Abundant Usually indistinguishable from Dryophytes chrysoscelis without DNA analysis or analysis of mating call[7]

Sometimes placed in the genus Hyla

Statewide, less common in southwestern counties
Mountain chorus frog Pseudacris brachyphona
(Cope, 1889)
Species of special concern Southwestern counties
Spring peeper Pseudacris crucifer
(Wied-Neuwied, 1838)
Abundant Statewide
Upland chorus frog Pseudacris feriarum
Baird, 1854
Species of special concern Central and south-central
New Jersey chorus frog Pseudacris kalmi
Harper, 1855
Endangered Bucks County and Montgomery County
Western chorus frog Pseudacris triseriata
Wied-Neuwied, 1838
Species of special concern Not officially seen in Pennsylvania since 1958[2] Western counties

Family: Ranidae - true frogs

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
(Shaw, 1802)
Abundant Statewide
Green frog Lithobates clamitans
(Rafinesque, 1820)
Abundant If subspecies are recognized, the Pennsylvania subspecies would be Lithobates clamitans melanota Statewide
Atlantic Coast leopard frog Lithobates kauffeldi
(Feinberg et al., 2014)
Endangered Bucks County, Philadelphia County, and Delaware County
Pickerel frog Lithobates palustris
(Le Conte, 1825)
Abundant Statewide
Northern leopard frog Lithobates pipiens
(von Schreber, 1782)
Species of special concern Scattered reports across the state, but more common to the west and especially the northwest, and also around Northumberland County
Coastal Plains leopard frog Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius
(Harlan, 1825)
Endangered Southeasternmost counties
Wood frog Lithobates sylvaticus
(Le Conte, 1825)
Abundant Statewide

Family: Scaphiopodidae - American spadefoots

Image Common name Scientific name Status Notes Distribution
Eastern spadefoot Scaphiopus holbrookii
(Harlan, 1835)
Threatened Central, south-central, and southeastern counties

Nonnative species

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Several species of frog have been introduced to Pennsylvania, mostly around the Philadelphia area.

References

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  1. ^ "Pennsylvania Native Reptile and Amphibian Species". Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commisision. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "PARS". Pennsylvania Amphibian & Reptile Survey. The Mid-Atlantic Center for Herpetology and Conservation. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Gibbs, H. Lisle; Denton, Robert D. (2016). "Cryptic sex? Estimates og genome exchange in unisexual mole salamanders (Ambystoma sp.)". Molecular Ecology. 25: 2805–2816. doi:10.1111/mec.13662.
  4. ^ "Ambystoma laterale". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ambystoma tigrinum Eastern Tiger Salamander". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Anaxyrus fowleri". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Roseman, Kimberly (2017). "The Utility of Hyla squirrella Microsatellite DNA Markers for Population Genetic Studies of Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis". Western Illinois University ProQuest Dissertations. ProQuest 1933027058.
  8. ^ "Osteopilus septentrionalis". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Hyla versicolor". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Hyla cinerea". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved September 19, 2024.