MoWIN: Spring River Basin

Spring River Basin - Amphibians

Amphibians include animals like frogs and salamanders that require a moist place to live. Some amphibians live right in the river while others live along the shoreline under a log or in the grass or mud. Most amphibians require a moist area to lay their eggs.

Sometimes in the spring and summer you can hear frogs making “chirping” noises next to the river. Some noises may be deep like the sound from a bullfrog. Other frogs like spring peepers make high pitched noises. Frogs use these vocalizations to communicate with one another.

Within Missouri, the graybelly salamander (Eurycea multiplicata griesogaster) is only found within the southwestern region, which includes the Spring River Basin.

Within the Spring River Basin, there are 13 species of salamanders and 15 species of frogs and toads. See the table below for a list of amphibian species found in the basin.

Amphibian species found in the Spring River Basin (Johnson 2000)

Common Name	Scientific Name	Range
	Salamanders
Ringed salamander	Ambystoma annulatum	Basinwide
Spotted salamander	Ambystoma maculatum	Basinwide
Marbled salamander	Ambystoma opacum	Eastern counties of the basin
Smallmouth salamander	Ambystoma texanum	Western counties of the basin
Eastern tiger salamander	Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum	Basinwide
Central newt	Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis	Basinwide
Longtail salamander	Eurycea longicauda	Basinwide
Cave salamander	Eurycea lucifuga	Basinwide
Graybelly salamander	Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster	Basinwide
Oklahoma salamander	Eurycea tynerensis	Basinwide
Ozark zigzag salamander	Plethodon dorsalis angusticlavius	Basinwide
Slimy salamander	Plethodon glutinosus glutinosus	Basinwide
Grotto salamander	Typhlotriton spelaeus	Basinwide
Red River mudpuppy	Necturus maculosis louisianensis	Basinwide
	Frogs and Toads
Dwarf American toad	Bufo americanus charlesmithi	Basinwide
Fowler’s toad	Bufo woodhousei fowleri	Basinwide
Woodhouse’s toad	Bufo woodhousei woodhousei	possibly in Newton County
Blanchard’s cricket frog	Acris crepitans blanchardi	Basinwide
Northern spring peeper	Hyla crucifer crucifer	Basinwide
Cope’s gray treefrog	Hyla chrysoscelis	Basinwide
Western chorus frog	Pseudacris triseriata	Basinwide
Eastern narrowmouth toad	Gastrophryne carolinensis	Basinwide
Great Plains narrowmouth toad	Gastrophryne olivacea	Western counties of the basin
Northern crawfish frog	Rana areolata circulosa	Western counties of the basin
Bullfrog	Rana catesbeiana	Basinwide
Green frog	Rana clamitans	Basinwide
Pickerel frog	Rana palustris	Basinwide
Southern leopard frog	Rana sphenocephala	Basinwide
Wood frog	Rana sylvatica	Eastern counties of the basin

Source: Johnson (1987)
Source: Missouri Department of Conservation, available at http://www.conservation.mo.gov/fish/watershed/elk/biotic/010bct17.htm.

Gray-bellied Salamander

begging

For more pictures of this species, visit http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/927.html

Grotto Salamander

Source: http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/animals/photo/4528.html

Ringed Salamander

Photo © Suzanne L. Collins, Center for North American Herpetology (cnah.org)

Source: http://www.livingunderworld.org/caudata/database/ambystomatidae/ambystoma/annulatum/

Pickerel frog

Source: http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/amphibians/frogs_toads/pickerelFrog.html

Cope’s Gray Treefrog

Source: http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/gray.tfrogs.html

Elk River | James River | Sac River | Spring River | North Fork Salt River

Missouri Department
of Natural Resources

Missouri Watershed Information Network (MoWIN)
Send comments to: mowin1@missouri.edu
205 Agricultural Engineering
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-0085
Toll Free: (MO only): 1-877-H20-shed (426-7433)
Fax: (573) 884-5650

Page last updated August 26, 2008