This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.




The Missouri Herpetological Association held its second fall field trip Sun 1 Oct 2006 (the first was the trip associated with the 2004 annual meeting). The Sunday morning field trip was part of the 19th Annual Meeting.

A quick herpetofaunal survey was conducted on the Woodson K Woods Conservation Area, located near Steelville in Crawford County. Habitats searched included ponds, old fields, streams, and wooded hillsides. Thirteen members, representing five institutions, caught 87 individual amphibians and reptiles in about two collecting hours, representing 15 species. Photos from the day can be seen as thumbnails or by clicking on the photo icons in the species list. Please send additional photos from the field trip.

Temperatures on Sunday were pleasant the entire morning. Several presumably common species for the area were not observed at all and the very dry summer and fall probably affected the number of animals observed. The total species list along with numbers of individuals can be seen below.

Species Common Name Number Photos
Salamanders (Caudata)
Notophthalmus viridescens Central Newt 3 (1 adult, 2 efts)
Plethodon albagula Western Slimy Salamander 42 Photo
Plethodon serratus Redback Salamander 2 Photo
Frogs (Anura)
Bufo americanus American Toad 1
Acris crepitans Cricket Frog 2
Rana clamitans Green Frog 21 (6 adults, 15 tadpoles) Photo
Rana sphenocephala Southern Leopard Frog 3 (tadpoles)
Turtles (Testudinata)
Terrapene carolina Three-toed Box Turtle 3 Photo
Lizards (Lacertilia)
Scincella lateralis Ground Skink 1
Eumeces fasciatus Five-Lined Skink 1 Photo
Ophisaurus attenuatus Western Slender Glass Lizard 1
Snakes (Serpentes)
Coluber constrictor Racer 1 (shed skin)
Elaphe obsoleta Black Ratsnake 4 Photo
Lampropeltis triangulum Red Milksnake 1 Photo
Storeria occipitomaculata Redbelly Snake 1 Photo