CARCNET: Publications Relating to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

Conservation Priorities Report | Status Reports | Other Publications

Conservation Priorities Report
Conservation Priorities of Amphibians and Reptiles in Canada by David Seburn and Carolyn Seburn, September 2000. This report was prepared for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and CARCNET.

Please follow this link to view the report in pdf format.

Information and Call for Authors of Status Reports
COSEWIC is on the verge of having assessed all the species of amphibians and reptiles in Canada that have been suspected of possibly being at some level of risk in the country. For the amphibians, to date 26 species have been written up for COSEWIC in comprehensive status reports and a further three species status reports will be completed soon. These reports contain the some of best information available about these species in Canada today. It would be a shame if they could not be made more readily available and so we intend to publish them in a book.

However, 17 amphibian species and 9 reptile species are likely to remain without COSEWIC reports. These are the more common species in Canada which, by any accounting, appear not to be in any imminent danger of disappearing altogether. This does not mean, however, that they may not have suffered population declines or are not susceptible to pollutants or disease. Against all the many potentially imperiled species of plants and animals for which COSEWIC has, and will, commission status reports, these species do not rate a high enough priority for them to be assessed any time soon. But it would be extremely valuable nonetheless if all of Canada�s amphibian and reptile species could be investigated and assessed. This would be the first complete and thorough status assessment of any country�s herpetofauna and the first completed for any major taxon in Canada as well. With 64 of 90 species either already assessed or in line, the job is virtually 2/3 done.

Therefore, we ask for volunteers to write COSEWIC-style species status reports for the remaining 17 amphibian species and 9 reptile species in Canada. When completed in conformity to the prescribed format they can be brought forward to COSEWIC for an official assessment (Not at Risk, we hope) and can be incorporated into the proposed book.

Dr. David M. Green (Amphibians)
co-chair COSEWIC Amphibians and Reptiles Specialist Group
Redpath Museum, McGill University,
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 2K6
[email protected]

Dr. Ron Brooks (Reptiles)
co-chair COSEWIC Amphibians and Reptiles Specialist Group
Department of Zoology, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 2W1
[email protected]

Salamanders

Ambystoma gracile (Northwestern salamander)

Ambystoma jeffersonianum (Jefferson salamander)

Ambystoma texanum (Smallmouth salamander)

Ambystoma tigrinum (Tiger salamander)

Desmognathus fuscus (Northern Dusky salamander)

Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander)

Dicamptodon tenebrosus (Coastal Giant salamander)

Ensatina eschscholtzii (Ensatina)

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (Spring salamander)

Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed salamander)

Necturus maculosus (Mudpuppy)

Plethodon idahoensis (Coeur d'Al�ne Salamander)

Plethodon vehiculum (Western Redback salamander)

Anurans

Acris crepitans (Northern cricket frog)

Ascaphus montanus (Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog)

Ascaphus truei (Coastal Tailed frog)

Bufo boreas (Western toad)

Bufo cognatus (Great Plains toad)

Bufo fowleri (Fowler's toad)

Bufo hemiophrys (Canadian toad)

Hyla chrysoscelis (Diploid or Cope's gray treefrog),

Pseudacris triseriata (Western Chorus frog)

Rana aurora (Red-legged frog)

Rana luteiventris (Columbia spotted frog)

Rana palustris (Pickerel frog)

Rana pipiens (Northern leopard frog).

Rana pretiosa (Oregon Spotted Frog)

Scaphiopus bombifrons (Plains spadefoot)

Spea intermontana (Great Basin Spadefoot)

Turtles

Apalone spinifera (Spiny Softshell)

Clemmys insculpta (Wood Turtle)

Clemmys marmorata (Pacific Pond Turtle)

Clemmys guttata (Spotted Turtle)

Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback Turtle)

Emydoidea blandingi (Blanding's Turtle)

Graptemys geographica (Map Turtle)

Sternotherus odoratus (Stinkpot)

Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle)

Lizards

Elgaria caerulea (Northern Alligator Lizard)

Eumeces skiltonianus (Western Skink)

Eumeces septentrionalis (Northern Prairie Skink)

Eumeces fasciatus (Five-lined Skink)

Phrynosoma hernandezi (Short-horned Lizard)

Phrynosoma douglassi (Pygmy Horned Lizard)

Snakes

Charina bottae (Rubber Boa)

Coluber constrictor ( Racer)

Contia tenuis (Sharp-tailed Snake)

Crotalus horridus (Timber Rattlesnake)

Crotalus oregonus (Pacific Rattlesnake)

Crotalus viridis (Western Rattlesnake)

Elaphe obsoleta (Rat Snake)

Elaphe gloydi (Eastern Fox Snake)

Heterodon nasicus (Western Hognosed Snake)

Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognosed Snake,)

Hypsiglena torquata (Night Snake)

Lampropeltis triangulum (Milk Snake,)

Nerodia sipedon (Common Water Snake, Lake Erie Water Snake)

Pituophis catenifer (Gopher Snake)

Regina septemvittata (Queen Snake)

Sistrurus catenatus (Massasauga)

Storeria dekayi (Brown Snake)

Thamnophis sauritus (Ribbon Snake)

Thamnophis butleri (Butler�s Garter Snake)

Thamnophis ordinoides (Northwestern Garter Snake)

Other DAPCAN/CARCN/RCCAR Publications
Bishop, C. A. and K.E. Pettit (Eds). 1992. Canadian Amphibian Populations: Designing a National Monitoring Strategy. Canadian Wildlife Service, Occasional Paper No. 76. 120 p. Abstracts in English and French.

Green, D. M. (Ed.) 1997. Amphibians in Decline: Canadian Studies of a Global Problem. Herpetological Conservation Number One. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. Abstracts in English and French.

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