The Missouri Herpetological Association held its fourth annual fall field trip on Sunday 27 September 2009 at Coy Bald, Hercules Glades Wilderness, Mark Twain National Forest, Taney County, Missouri. Habitats searched included glades, wooded hillsides, shady ravines, and a portion of Long Creek.
Twenty (20) members, representing six different institutions, caught or observed more than 116 individual reptiles and amphibians, representing a total of 18 species. Several photographs are available of members and animals but more are welcome! Send photos from the field trip directly or post photos on sites such as photobucket.com. We can provide a byline and a link to a personal site if you wish. Submitted photos will be included in the atlas database as a photo specimen.
The entire weekend was characterized by cool temperatures, including the morning of the field trip. The total species list along with numbers of individuals can be seen below. The racer, slider, and box turtle were represented solely by individuals found dead on the access road to Coy Bald. Spring peepers were heard calling in several places and a freshly-hatched southern leopard frog egg mass was found in a roadside puddle.
| Species | Common Name | Number | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salamanders (Caudata) | |||
| Plethodon albagula | Western Slimy Salamander | 8 |  |
| Frogs (Anura) | |||
| Anaxyrus americanus | American Toad | 2 | |
| Acris crepitans | Cricket Frog | 2 | |
| Pseudacris crucifer | Spring Peeper | 5+ | |
| Lithobates sphenocephalus | Southern Leopard Frog | 50+ | |
| Turtles (Testudinata) | |||
| Terrapene carolina | Three-toed Box Turtle | 1 | |
| Trachemys scripta | Red-eared Slider | 1 | |
| Lizards (Lacertilia) | |||
| Crotaphytus collaris | Eastern Collared Lizard | 1 | |
| Sceloporus consobrinus | Prairie Lizard | 10 | |
| Aspidoscelis sexlineata | Six-lined Racerunner | 1 | |
| Plestiodon fasciatus | Common Five-lined Skink | 1 | |
| Scincella lateralis | Ground Skink | 10 | |
| Snakes (Serpentes) | |||
| Carphophis vermis | Western Wormsnake | 6 | |
| Coluber constrictor | North American Racer | 1 | |
| Diadophis punctatus | Ring-necked Snake | 5 | |
| Sonora semiannulata | Variable Groundsnake | 1 | |
| Virginia striatula | Rough Earthsnake | 11 | |
| Agkistrodon contortrix | Copperhead | 1 | |