Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rogue River Basin, Oregon Author(S): Henry S
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The University of Notre Dame Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rogue River Basin, Oregon Author(s): Henry S. Fitch Source: American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 17, No. 3 (May, 1936), pp. 634-652 Published by: The University of Notre Dame Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2419939 . Accessed: 29/12/2014 12:59 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. The University of Notre Dame is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Midland Naturalist. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:59:37 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Amphibiansand Reptiles of the Rogue RiverBasin, Oregon Henry S. Fitch The region drained by the Rogue River includes parts of Jackson, Josephine,and Currycounties, in southwesternOregon, and of Siskiyouand Del Norte countiesin northwesternCalifornia. Roughly,it is bounded on the east, south,and northby the crestsof the Cascade,Siskiyou, and Umpqua mountains. It comprisesan irregulararea having a maximumbreadth of about 120 miles west to east and of perhapshalf that distancefrom north to south. This area is possessedof varied climate and rough topography. The coastal belt supportsdense forests of Douglas fir, coast hemlock,tan oak, Californialaurel, and Port Orfordcedar. To the mouth of the Illinois River at Agness, for more than 40 miles the Rogue River runs through a deep gorge. The regionof this gorge,and its counterpartson the tributaryIllinois and Applegaterivers, is dry and rugged;Garry and golden oaks, manzanita, and buck-brush(Ceanothus cuneatus) are some of the plants most character- istic of the steeperslopes. A few miles west from GrantsPass the head of the main gorge opens out into a valley, most of which is under cultivation. The foothills aroundthe valley includeareas of dry, open grassland,as also areas of chaparral,oak, and madrone. At high altitudesthis scrub type of forest grades into yellow pine and Douglas fir. Yet higher, discontinuou's belts of Canadianand Hudsonianlife zones partlysurround the valley, form- ing more or less effectivebarriers to some speciesof amphibiansand reptiles. During the 25 yearsof my residencein this region,I gainedgeneral famil- iaritywith its fauna. However,no specimenswere preserved and no field notes werewritten until the summerof 1932. In the summersof 1934 and 1935 I made collectionsand notes on nearlyall the species,and trips were made to parts of the area not previouslyvisited, notably along the lower course of Rogue River. Most of the specimenscollected, representing all the species exceptBatrachoseps attenuatus and Contia tenuis have been depositedin the Museum of VertebrateZoology, University of California. Numbers given are as of the herpetologicalcatalogue in the Museum,unless otherwiseindi- cated. From time to time I have kept under observationin large outdoor cagesmany individualsof most of the specieshere discussed. In the followingaccounts it is my aim to summarizethe geographic,zonal, and ecologicdistribution of each form found within the area, and to include observationson its naturalhistory. Specificlocalities are mentionedfor rare speciesrepresented by few localities;but for commonspecies represented by many records,these have been summarizedin generalstatements. All local- ities mentionedmay be found on the U. S. GeologicalSurvey topographic maps or on nationalforest maps. 634 This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:59:37 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions AMPHIBIANSAND REPTILES,OREGON 635 To membersof my family, especiallyto my father,Mr. ChesterFitch, I am indebtedfor manyspecimens and some observations. Triturussimilans Twitty-OREGON NEWT Althoughnewts of the Rogue RiverBasin seem to be of this species,it is possiblethat the observationshere recordedapply to more than one form. Newts occur in permanentcreeks and ponds throughoutthe area. On Aug. 2, 1933, at the sourceof Joe Creek,6000 feet, SiskiyouMountains, with- in a forest of mountainhemlock, many individualswere found in a shallow pool coveringabout an acre. Two specimens(Mus. Vert. Zool.) were col- lectedon July 16, 1926, at CraterLake, 6000 feet. The speciesis not common in swift-runningcreeks of the dry foothills, and it is absent from streams whichdry up in summer. It is most abundantnear the coast in slow moving streams,where standing water is alwayspresent. On May 24, 1935, at LobsterCreek, newts were abundantin stagnant pools;most of the femaleshad spawned,but the plumpappearance of some in one denselyshaded pool indicatedthey still containedeggs. Five mated pairs of newts in this pool comprisedabout half the numberpresent. Two single females,evinced interest, in a peculiarmanner, in differentsticks floatingon the surface. One would nose along a stick and then would turn to bring her cloacato an adjacentposition. At the same time she would grasp the stick firmlybetween her hind legs. Breedingfemales had the type of cloacafigured and describedby Twitty (1935) as characteristicof similans,with lips forminga conicalelevation. I found no eggs of newts under natural conditions,although I often searchedfor them in pools wherebreeding adults were abundant.A captive temalefrom Little Butte Creeknear Rogue River,deposited eggs singiy. On May 15, 1934, numerouslarva about an inch long were found in a pond at BurnfsCreek, Curry County. One was takenfrom the stomachof a gray gar- ter snakefrom this locality. In ten specimensfrom LobsterCreek, and two from CraterLake, the palatineteeth are arrangedin straightconverging series in a V-shapedpar- tern as figuredfor similansby Twitty. On May 21, 1935, near LobsterCreek a young newt (no. 18541) appar- ently newlymetamorphosed, head and body length of 34 mm., was dug out of a rockslide in companywith Olympicand green-backedsalamanders. Ambystomamacrodactylum Baird-LONG-TOED SALAMANDER The long-toedsalamander has been collectedat widely separatedlocalities withinthe area,and apparentlyoccurs irrespective of life zone. Slevin (1930, p. 30) recordsit as abundantat CraterLake, and seven specimens(Mus. Vert. Zool.) came from this locality. I collectedone at Lost Creek,4000 feet, on July 17, 1932 (no. 14950). I have found it elsewhereonly on the valley floorbelow 2000 feet. There, This content downloaded from 169.229.32.36 on Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:59:37 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 636 THE AMERICANMIDLAND NATURALIST it is the firstamphibian to spawnin the spring. The eggs are laid sometimes singly,but more often severalin a cluster. Freshlylaid eggs have been found betweenmid-February and mid-March,but none later. Adults are rarely seen, although judging from the abundanceof egg masses,they must be common. During the breedingseason I have captured them by dragging a net along the bottoms of shallow pools where the salamanderslie concealedin the mud or underthe massesof greenalgae. At the sametime of year,I have found numbersof them togetherunder boards in slimymud at the edgesof the pondsor ditchescontaining their eggs. At other times of year no adults could be found in the vicinityof water. It is obvious that during most of the year they are subterraneanin habit, becauseeggs and larvaeare found in creekswhich dry up completelyin sum- mer. In winterand spring,individuals are sometimesfound in damp ground at a distancefrom water. I found five under logs, one under a board pile, and two in holes aroundroots of trees in an orchard. It is possiblethat at high altitudeswhere there is permanentwater, the speciesis moreaquatic. The seven specimensfrom CraterLake were taken on June 16 and July 16, 1926. In May, 1935, at BelmontOrchard, 6 miles south of Medford,numerous large larvaewere found in an open well about 8 feet deep and 6 feet wide in an orchard. The salamandersstayed near the bottomin muddy waterand debris, except when they appearedmomentarily at the surface for air, as the largerones did frequently. Tree-toadtadpoles were swarmingat the sur- face of the water;each one examinedhad a piece gone from the end of the tail. In someas muchas half of the tail was missing. About twelve salamanderlarvae were transferredto an aquariumwith manyof the tadpoles. The salamandersattacked the tadpolesand bit at them wheneverthey came within reach. Several times a salamanderwas found swallowinga tadpole whose diameterexceeded that of its own body. The prey was swallowedeither head first or backwards. The salamanderscaught and killed severaltadpoles too large to be swallowed. By the time the last one had disappeared,the salamanderswere alreadyattacking each other, and most of them had mutilatedfins. They ate' small strips of raw meat and chopped earthworms. Most of this lot transformedin June although two had not begunto lose theirgills by mid-July. Some salamanders,kept in the aquariumseveral weeks after metamorphosis, were clumsyin the waterafter loss of their gills and broadtail fins. Others transferredto a terrariumseemed to thrive. Dicamptodonensatus (Eschscholtz)-MARBLED SALAMANDER The marbledsalamander is abundantin the humidcoastal region. Farther inlandit