EFB 485 Lab Practical: Frogs, Salamanders, Snakes, Lizards, and Crocodilians

Testudines skulls are

anapsid

Dorsal shell

Carapace

Ventral shell

Plastron

Hidden-neck turtles

Cryptodira

Side-neck turtles

Pleurodira

Carapace scutes going down the spine

Vertebral

Carapace scutes along outer edge

Marginal

Carapace scutes between outer and central scutes

Costal

Carapace scute right behind neck

Nuchal

Carapace scutes above tail

Supracaudal

Australoamerican side-necked turtles, flattened bodies

Chelidae

Soft shelled turtles, fleshy aquatic

Trionychidae

Special concern, rivers bays with soft ground

Apalone spinifera

Mud and Musk Turtles, aquatic bottom walkers

Kinosternidae

Slow moving water, common but sparsely observed

Sternotherus odoratus

Special concern, wetlands

Kinosternon subrubrum

Snapping Turtles, omnivores, reduced plastron

Chelydridae

Generalist

Chelydra serpentina

Sea Turtles, paddle/flipper limbs, barbs in esophagus

Cheloniidae

Threatened, Long Island, 5 costal pairs

Caretta caretta

Threatened, 4 costal pairs, 1 pair of prefrontal plates

Chelonia mydas

Endangered, 2 pairs of prefrontal plates, overlapping scutes

Eretmochelys imbricata

Endangered, small, 5 costal pairs, first pair touches nuchal

Lepidochelys kempii

Leatherback Sea Turtle,

Dermochelyidae

Endangered, largest extant turtle, dorsal ridges,

Dermochelys coriacea

Pond and River Turtles, freshwater/semiaquatic/terrestrial, some have hinged plastron

Emydidae

Generalist, plain yellow plastron

Chrysemys picta

Special Concern, vernal pools / wetlands

Clemmys guttata

Special concern, omnivorous, woodlands / meadows / stream sides

Glyptemys insculpta

Endangered, Hudson valley, smallest NYS turt, meadows and fens

Glyptemys muhlenbergii

Threatened, North most NYS cluster, pools with channels

Emydoidea blandingii

Bays inlets and large rivers, females much larger

Graptemys geographica

Special Concern, woodlands and sandy areas

Terrapene carolina carolina

Long Island, estuaries and salt marshes, carnivores, webbed feet

Malaclemys terrapin

Invasive

Trachemys scripta elegans

Invasive

Trachemys scripta scripta

Invasive

Pseudemys rubriventris

In anurans, Radioulna, tibioulna, urostyle are _

fused

Most common anuran amplexus

Axillary

Trait used for speciation of tadpoles

Oral disc

Most NYS tadpoles have _ oral discs

emarginate

Used to delineate embryonic and larval life stages

Gosner index

3 identifiable traits of Bufonids (alphabetical)

Cranial crest, Parotoid gland, Warts

2 identifiable traits of non-Bufonid frogs (alphabetical)

Dorsolateral fold, Tympanum

African clawed frogs and Suriname toads, eggs in females dorsal skin, invasive in US

Pipidae

Nearartic Spadefoots, warty soft skin, no parotid gland

Scaphiopodidae

Special concern, sandy well drained soil

Scaphiopus holbrookii

Glass frogs, south and central Americas, arboreal

Centrolenidae

Poison frogs, Central and South America, aposematic coloration, parental care

Dendrobatidae

True toads, across most temperate and tropical regions, parotoid glands, most terrestrial

Bufonidae

Anaxyrus americanus

Anaxyrus fowleri

Anaxyrus fowleri

Anaxyrus americanus

Anaxyrus americanus

Tree frogs, Americas, West Indies, Eurasia, expanded toe pads

Hylidae

Endangered, early summer breeding

Acris crepitans

late spring / early summer breeding

Hyla versicolor

early spring breeding,

Pseudacris crucifer

Pseudacris triseriata

True frogs, Almost worldwide, mostly aquatic

Ranidae

Lithobates catesbeianus

Lithobates catesbeianus

Lithobates clamitans

Lithobates palustris

Lithobates pipiens

Lithobates septentrionalis

Special concern

Lithobates sphenocephalus

endangered

Lithobates kauffeldi

Lithobates sylvaticus

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

Hellbenders and Asiatic giant salamanders, external fertilization, cutaneous respiration, “hidden gills”, fall breeders, Hellbender : Special Concern

Cryptobranchidae

Newts and European salamanders. No costal grooves, aposematic coloration, internal fertilization.

Salamandridae

Notopthalmus viridescens

Mole salamanders. Costal grooves, no nasolabial grooves, fossorial, spring breeding.

Ambystomatidae

Ambystoma maculatum

special concern

Ambystoma jeffersonianum

special concern

Ambystoma laterale

special concern, fall breeding

Ambystoma opacum

endangered

Ambystoma tigrinum

Waterdogs, mud puppies, and the old. Fully aquatic, paedomorphic.

Proteidae

Necturus maculosus

Lungless salamanders. Diverse and species rich. Americas and Europe. Nasolabial grooves, cutaneous respiration.

Plethodontidae

Desmognathus fuscus

Desmognathus ochrophaeus

Eurycea bislineata

special concern

Eurycea longicauda

Gyrinophilus porphyriticus

Hemidactylium scutatum

Plethodon cinerus

Plethodon cinerus

Plethodon glutinosus

Plethodon wehrlei

Pseudotriton ruber

Non-venomous colubrid dentition

Aglyph

Venomous colubrid dentition, rear-fanged (duvernoy’s gland)

Opisthoglyph

Viperid dentition

Solenoglyph

Vipers and pit vipers,

Viperidae

Open forests, Viviparous

Agkistrodon contortrix

Mountain forests, viviparous, Threatened

Crotalus horridus