REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS ONLY

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS ONLY Notations Used E Endangered T Threatened SC Special Concern N None (location records maintained by DNR, in most cases) N (X) None, and probably extirpated from Minnesota (location records maintained by DNR, in most cases) -- None (location records not yet maintained by DNR) * Change in scientific name accompanies change in status CHANGE IN SCIENTIFIC NAME NOT ACCOMPANIED BY A CHANGE IN STATUS Old Scientific Name New Scientific Name Status Clemmys insculpta Glyptemys insculpta T Eumeces fasciatus Plestiodon fasciatus SC SPECIES FOR WHICH A CHANGE IN STATUS IS PROPOSED AND A STATUS SHEET IS PROVIDED Notations Used E Endangered T Threatened SC Special Concern N None (location records maintained by DNR, in most cases) N (X) None, and probably extirpated from Minnesota (location records maintained by DNR, in most cases) -- None (location records not yet maintained by DNR) * Change in scientific name accompanies change in status Common Name Scientific Name Current Status Proposed Status Spotted Salamander Ambystoma maculatum N SC Great Plains Toad Anaxyrus cognatus -- SC Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina SC N * Ratsnake Elaphe obsolete SC T Mudpuppy Necturus maculosus -- SC

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ambystoma maculatum COMMON NAME: Spotted Salamander CURRENT MINNESOTA STATUS: None PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: Special Concern SPECIES STATUS SHEET BASIS FOR PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: The Spotted Salamander is found in the eastern half of North America from Ontario and Quebec throughout much of the eastern United States, including in the northern hardwood forests near the extreme eastern edge of Minnesota. This species was first discovered in Minnesota in 2001, and since this time the Minnesota DNR County Biological Survey has identified egg masses at several wetland locations along the Wisconsin border in a thirty-mile-diameter area of eastern Pine and southeastern Carlton counties. This species is restricted to forested habitat with suitable breeding sites such as small, seasonal ponds or shallow, emergent wetlands that do not contain fish. Potential threats to populations in Minnesota include loss of ephemeral wetland habitat, forest fragmentation, intensive timber harvest near breeding sites, and acid deposition. More information is needed on the distribution, abundance, and ecology of this species in Minnesota to assess its status. Until this is accomplished, it is needed and reasonable to classify the Spotted Salamander as a species of Special Concern due to its forest-wetland dependence and limited known distribution in the state. Downs, E.L. 1989. Family Ambystomatidae. In: Salamanders of Ohio, R. A. Pfingsten and E.L. Downs, editors. Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin, New Series 7(2): 87-172. Hall, C.D. 2002. Geographic Distribution: Ambystoma maculatum. Herpetological Review 33(4): 315. Petranka, J.W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Sadinski, W.J., and W.A. Dunson. 1992. A multi-level study of effects of low ph on amphibians of temporary ponds. Journal of Herpetology 26: 413-422.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Anaxyrus cognatus COMMON NAME: Great Plains Toad CURRENT MINNESOTA STATUS: None PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: Special Concern BASIS FOR PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: The Great Plains Toad is widespread in the Great Plains of the United States and occurs in western Minnesota in open grasslands, cultivated fields, and tallgrass prairies. In parts of its range, populations appear more localized and isolated than historical records indicate. Reproductive activity is triggered by heavy spring rain events, at which time adults emerge from burrows to breed in temporary, shallow water such as flooded fields, ditches, ephemeral ponds, and wetlands. Because reproduction is dependent on rainfall, toads may forego breeding during years with insufficient precipitation. As a result, population densities of Great Plains Toads can undergo substantial fluctuations during periods of prolonged drought. Surveys conducted by the Minnesota DNR s County Biological Survey for Great Plains Toads between 1988 and 2007 found mixed results for this species. Drought conditions coincided with no records of this species during surveys of counties in far western Minnesota in 1988. Records of Great Plains Toads were obtained in two of six counties in far northwestern Minnesota in the early to mid 1990s, and the species appeared to be abundant in a few isolated areas of southwestern Minnesota during surveys in the late 1980s and mid 2000s, although it was absent from several historical localities. The lack of records may be attributed, in part, to the difficulty in sampling for this species, which resides in burrows outside the breeding season. However, several potential threats related to habitat loss raise greater concerns about the future of Great Plains Toads in Minnesota. These threats include loss and degradation of suitable habitat resulting from the conversion of grasslands to row crops, tilling of wetlands, and use of herbicides and pesticides. This species relies on periodic pulses of heavy rain events for the subsequent recruitment of young into the population, and the loss of adequate breeding habitat can severely impact its future. Given its unique life history characteristics and limited habitat availability, it is needed and reasonable to designate the Great Plains Toad as a species of Special Concern in Minnesota. This status will highlight the need for additional survey effort to more accurately assess its distribution and abundance in the state. Breckenridge, W.J. 1944. Reptiles and amphibians of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 202 pp. America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York. 616 pp. Ewert, M.A. 1969. Seasonal movements of the toads Bufo americanus and B. cognatus in northwestern Minnesota. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Minnesota, Minneapoilis, Minnesota. 193pp. Graves, B.M., and J.J. Krupa. 2005. Great Plains Toad (Bufo cogantus). In: Amphibian declines: the conservation status of United States species. M. Lannoo, editor. University of California Press. 1115 pp. Lehtinen, R.M., S.M. Galatowitsch, and J.R. Tester. 1999. Consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for wetland amphibian assemblages. Wetlands 19:1 12. Oldfield, B., and J.J. Moriarty. 1994. Amphibians and reptiles native to Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 237 pp. Sullivan, B.K. and P.J. Fernandez. 1999. Breeding activity, estimated age-structure, and growth in Sonoran Desert anurans. Herpetologica 55:334 343.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chelydra serpentina COMMON NAME: Snapping Turtle CURRENT MINNESOTA STATUS: Special Concern PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: None BASIS FOR PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: The Snapping Turtle occurs throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada and is found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats throughout Minnesota. While Snapping Turtles prefer slow-moving, quiet waters with muddy bottoms and dense vegetation, they are common and often abundant in lakes, rivers and marshes. Despite their widespread occurrence, several factors prompted concern for the status of this species in Minnesota and led to its listing as a Special Concern species in 1984. The major factor driving its listing was the unknown and possibly detrimental effects of commercial harvest on local populations. Snapping Turtles are harvested for their meat, and used for human consumption. Since the 1984 listing, additional research on the demography and life history of turtles suggested that commercial turtle harvest practices in northern latitudes were not sustainable. A study of turtles in the Weaver Bottoms area of the Upper Mississippi River found reduced numbers of Snapping Turtles and concluded that harvesting and unintended drowning by commercial fisherman might be responsible. Subsequently, updates to Minnesota's commercial turtle harvesting rules were made and implemented in 2004 to address these concerns. These changes included limiting the number of traps that could be used, restricting turtle licenses to Minnesota residents, and putting a moratorium on the sale of new licenses. Anyone who held a license prior to the rule changes was permitted to renew it, and they are allowed to pass their license down one generation to their children with approval from the DNR commissioner. In 2003, 51 Minnesotans were awarded commercial turtle harvest licenses; as of February 2009, thirty-two of these licenses remain active. Additionally, trappers must now keep a daily log of where their traps are located and how many turtles they harvest. These logs must be submitted monthly during the trapping season (March - November). Failure to submit this report to the Minnesota DNR can result in nonrenewal of a harvester's license. The DNR created a database in 2004 to maintain the trapping data, which will allow for greater monitoring of Snapping Turtle harvest and population levels in Minnesota. Because of the recent restrictions imposed on commercial turtle harvest in Minnesota, listing of the Snapping Turtle as a species of Special Concern is no longer warranted. Ernst, C.H., R. W. Barbour, and J. E. Lovich. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, D.C. xxxviii + 578 pp. Harding, J.H. 1997. Amphibians and reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan. xvi + 378 pp. Oldfield, B., and J.J. Moriarty. 1994. Amphibians and reptiles native to Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 237 pp. Pappas, M.J., J. Congdon, and A. Pappas. 2001. Weaver Bottoms 2001 turtle survey: management and conservation concerns. Report submitted to the Nongame Wildlife Program, Minnesota DNR and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaged. Vogt, R.C. 1981. Natural history of amphibians and reptiles of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 205 pp.

OLD SCIENTIFIC NAME: Elaphe obsoleta NEW SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pantherophis obsoletus COMMON NAME: Ratsnake CURRENT MINNESOTA STATUS: Special Concern PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: Threatened BASIS FOR PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: The Ratsnake occurs throughout the central and eastern United States and into southern Ontario. In Minnesota, Ratsnakes have only been documented in a few locations in the southeast corner of the state. In addition to a few specimens collected by Breckenridge in Houston County in 1942, there have only been a handful of verified sightings and live captures of this species. Due to the scarcity of records and limited information on its distribution, abundance, and habitat requirements, the Ratsnake was listed as a special concern species in 1984. Since that time, extensive surveys have been conducted by the Minnesota DNR County Biological Survey and by biologists funded through the Minnesota DNR Nongame Wildlife Program to study historic locations of Ratsnakes and document new den sites; however, only two additional records have been obtained as a result of these survey efforts. Ratsnakes are woodland snakes that frequent moist forests and forest edges in the summer months and move to rocky outcrops or bluffs where they are found in the fall and spring. Because they are arboreal, Ratsnakes are often found high up in trees where they retreat to tree cavities. In Minnesota, the few records and sightings have occurred on the tops and backsides of wooded bluffs. Old decayed trees are utilized as denning sites and provide an important component in their home range, along with deep rock crevices that are used as hibernacula. The limited distribution of the Ratsnake in Minnesota makes it highly susceptible to habitat destruction and alteration, and the loss of bluff prairie and woodland habitat to agricultural, commercial, and industrial development has been a major factor in the species' decline. The development of forested bluffs for homesites causes fragmentation of habitat and increases the potential for snakes to be killed on roads. While rock crevices may not be a limiting factor in southeast Minnesota, denning trees can be lost during large scale logging activities or by removal of dead trees for firewood. The time needed to reestablish a suitable denning tree after such a loss could result in the dispersal of the local population. The Ratsnake is also vulnerable to collection for the pet trade and indiscriminate killing. This snake is often misidentified as a rattlesnake, since it will vibrate its tail when threatened. Because of this, people who encounter them feel threatened and often kill them. Ratsnakes are susceptible to local extirpation by overcollecting or destruction at den sites where large numbers of snakes aggregate for overwintering. It is needed and reasonable to upgrade the Ratsnake from Special Concern to Threatened status at this time. Despite significant search efforts in Minnesota since its listing in 1984, available records of this forest species are lacking; moreover, the discovery of a few dens in southeastern Minnesota could stimulate collection for the pet trade, and the impact of road mortality is putting increasing pressure on remaining populations. Protection of large forested tracts near active dens is needed to help ensure the survival of this species in Minnesota. Brecke, B.J. 1997. Documentation of ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta) dens in southeastern Minnesota. Report submitted to the Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program, Minnesota DNR. 3 pp. Coffin, B. and L. Pfannmuller, editors. 1988. Minnesota's endangered flora and fauna. Univ. of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis. 473 pp. Fitch, H.S. 1963. Natural history of the black rat snake (Elaphe o. obsoleta) in Kansas. Copeia 1963: 649-658. Prior, K.A., and P.J. Weatherhead. 1996. Habitat features of black rat snake hibernacula in Ontario. Journal of Herpetology 30(2): 211-218.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Necturus maculosus COMMON NAME: Mudpuppy CURRENT MINNESOTA STATUS: None PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: Special Concern BASIS FOR PROPOSED MINNESOTA STATUS: The Mudpuppy is a fully-aquatic species of salamander that is found in medium to large rivers and some larger lakes within the Mississippi, Minnesota, Red, and St. Croix river basins in Minnesota. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this species is relatively common in the Minnesota, Red, and St. Croix river basins. However, its status within its historic range in the Mississippi River (below St. Anthony Falls) is questionable, and it may be extirpated from its historic range in the Lake Superior watershed despite an abundance of suitable habitat. Its distribution and abundance elsewhere in the state is poorly known. Threats to Mudpuppy populations in Minnesota include habitat loss, siltation and pollution, persecution by humans, and the use of the lampricides. While Mudpuppies are apparently tolerant of some siltation, habitat modification activities such as shoreline development, dams, channelization, and dredging can bury exposed rocks, logs, or other types of cover that they depend upon for refuge and nesting. These salamanders are sometimes killed by anglers who erroneously believe they are harmful, and they are also commercially harvested for bait, the pet trade, and by biological supply companies that are difficult to monitor. In addition, Mudpuppies are vulnerable to the lampricide TFM, which is used to control sea lamprey in Lake Superior. A 1990 study conducted in the Grand River, Ohio found that the size of Mudpuppy populations decreased by 29% the year following TFM application. Mudpuppies serve as the obligate larval host species for the imperiled Salamander Mussel, and therefore local extirpation of Mudpuppies would prevent reproduction and ultimately result in the loss of this mussel. Because of its inferred population decline, loss and degradation of its habitat, vulnerability to lampricide, and threats of overexploitation from commercial harvest, it is needed and reasonable to designate the Mudpuppy as a species of Special Concern at this time. This status will highlight the need to gather more field data on the distribution and abundance of this species in Minnesota. Boogaard, M.A., Bills, T.D., and Johnson, D.A. 2003. Acute toxicity of TFM and a TFM/Niclosamide mixture to selected species of fish, including lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus), in laboratory and field exposures. J. Great Lakes Research 29 (Suppl. 1):529 541. Harding, J.H. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of the Great Lakes region. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. 378 pp. Matson, T.O. 1990. Estimation of numbers for a riverine Necturus population before and after TFM lampricide exposure. Kirtlandia 45:33-38. NatureServe. 2009. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. <http://www.natureserve.org/explorer>. Accessed 07 August 2009. Oldfield, B., and J.J. Moriarty. 1994. Amphibians and reptiles native to Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 237 pp. Petranka, J.W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.