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Eastern Spadefoot Toad” Species Action Plan Eastern Spadefoot Natural Diversity Section June 2011 Species Action Plan: Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) Purpose: This plan provides an initial five year blueprint for the actions needed to attain near-term and, ultimately, long-term goals for the conservation and recovery of the eastern spadefoot. The action plan is a Figure 1. Eastern spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii). living document and will be updated as Photo by Tom Diez. needed to reflect progress toward those Description: The eastern spadefoot is a goals and to incorporate new information as small to medium-sized, stout-bodied toad, it becomes available. with a snout-vent length (SVL) range of 1.7- 2.2 in. (44-57 mm) (Figure 1). The eastern Goals: The immediate goal is to maintain spadefoot has a single, sickle-shaped the extant populations of eastern spadefoot tubercle (“spade”) on the underside of each in the Commonwealth and to protect its hind foot, has two small, inconspicuous, remaining habitat. The secondary goal is to round parotoid glands, and large protuberant enhance extant populations by improving eyes with vertically elliptical pupils. It has and increasing local habitat. Ultimately it is two distinctive yellowish lines that begin at hoped the species will recover to the point the eye and continue across the dorsum in where it can be removed from the the shape of an hourglass or lyre and Pennsylvania list of endangered species (58 terminate at the sacrum. The dorsal color is Pa. Code §75.1). variable, but typically resembles earth tones – shades of brown, olive, gray to black. The Natural History sides of the body and legs are mottled with pigment. The skin is relatively smooth with small, scattered warts that are colored brown Taxonomy: Class Amphibia, Order Anura or red. The ventral side is smooth with a (frogs and toads), Family Pelobatidae pale, white or gray coloration. (spadefoots), Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii, Harlan 1835) Habitat: Eastern spadefoots are fossorial by nature. They typically inhabit loose, friable soils, where they can use their hind feet for burrowing. In the northeast, eastern spadefoot tend to be associated with sandy Page | 1 Species Action Plan Eastern Spadefoot Natural Diversity Section June 2011 soils along the floodplains of streams and triggered by a combination of factors rivers and in depressions in agricultural including intense rainfall, a significant drop fields (Hulse et al. 2001). These in barometric pressure, and drying and depressions, sometimes quite shallow, may refilling of the breeding ponds. be temporary or permanent and often form Reproduction occurs within one or two ephemeral pools following rains. Although nights during and after heavy rain events, they have been documented as burrowing in and is concentrated in vernal pools, rain- silt loam or clay soils (Driver 1936, Pearson filled depressions in farm fields, and along 1955), Jansen et al. (2001) found that streams (Hulse et al., 2001). Eastern eastern spadefoot preferred sandy soil for spadefoot eggs have been reported hatching burrowing significantly more than other soil, in 24 hours to 7 days, and metamorphosis gravel, and sod. Jansen et al. (2001) also can occur in 14 to 63 days, being mostly discovered that spadefoot toads could not dependent on ambient water temperature. burrow into sod. Transformed toadlets emerge from the temporary pools when they are Life History: The eastern spadefoot spends approximately ½ inch long (12.5 mm). much of its time underground, with surface Unlike the adults, the juvenile spadefoots activity dependent on periods of heavy are diurnal and will feed on small rainfall, particularly in the spring and mid- invertebrates and insects at the perimeter of summer, when it exits its burrow to forage the pool for two weeks before they disperse. or breed (Pearson 1955). The species has been documented burrowing to depths Distribution and Status ranging from 5 cm to 2.5 m, where it spends a significant portion of its life (Jansen et al., 2001, Pearson 1955). Pearson (1955) National Distribution: The species ranges documented eastern spadefoot spending 109 from southern New England to the Florida consecutive days in their burrows. Hulse et Keys and west to eastern Louisiana, but al. (2001) suggests the possibility of Pennsylvania forms a break between the spadefoots remaining inactive in their New England populations and Maryland burrows for more than 200 days out of a (Figure 2; NatureServe 2010). year. In Pennsylvania, eastern spadefoot have been found to be active on the surface from March through October (B. Ruhe, personal communication 2010, Klemens 1993, Hulse et al., 2001). The eastern spadefoot has no defined breeding season and is considered an opportunistic, sporadic breeder. Adult emergence to the surface and breeding is Page | 2 Species Action Plan Eastern Spadefoot Natural Diversity Section June 2011 Figure 2. Distribution of the eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) in North America (NatureServe 2010) Pennsylvania Distribution: In Pennsylvania, populations are in the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Cumberland Valleys, including occurrences in the following counties: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Centre, Cumberland, Franklin, Lehigh, Northampton, Northumberland, Union, and York (Figure 3). Pennsylvania Legal Status: The Figure 3. Distribution of the eastern Spadefoot eastern spadefoot was listed as (Scaphiopus holbrookii) in Pennsylvania, (PFBC 2010). Endangered in Pennsylvania in September 2005. (NatureServe 2010, Wildlife in Connecticut 1999, Rare native animals in Rhode Island Other States Legal Status: The eastern 2006), considered a species of concern in spadefoot is listed as endangered in Ohio, New York, “declining” in New Jersey, rare Connecticut, and Rhode Island in West Virginia, and threatened in Massachusetts. Page | 3 Species Action Plan Eastern Spadefoot Natural Diversity Section June 2011 buffers (foraging and burrowing habitat) this species could not persist. Management Status 5) The fossorial nature and its unpredictable breeding schedule make the eastern spadefoot difficult to detect In 2005, the eastern spadefoot was listed as and thus difficult to inventory and state endangered with only two extant protect. populations documented in Pennsylvania. A 6) Poaching-eastern spadefoot are State Wildlife Grant funded range interesting and attractive creatures often determination study has identified six sought by collectors. distributional areas in 11 counties as being occupied by this species. The study has also Conservation and Recovery added to our knowledge of the habitat and natural history of the eastern spadefoot in Conservation Actions: Pennsylvania. 1) Protect existing populations through land The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission preservation on both private and public (PFBC), in cooperation with the Berks properties (e.g., conservation easements, County Conservancy and its partners, have conservation agreements, fee title been monitoring the status of a preserve in acquisition). Berks County that was recently established a. Develop a prioritized site list by to protect two eastern spadefoot breeding considering factors such as pools. population size, habitat condition, and proximity of site to other Threats occupied areas. b. Work with the landowners towards the protection of these identified sites. 1) Habitat destruction from residential and industrial development 2) Develop management plans addressing 2) Habitat alteration and changes in water habitat maintenance and restoration for chemistry properties identified above. 3) The species’ breeding habitat is often a. Offer management plans to private temporary pools, which are not landowners who are not currently necessarily delineated as wetlands. Thus, interested in land protection wetland regulations can not be relied measures. upon to provide sufficient protection for b. Implement habitat management this species. plans on properties where 4) Even where wetlands are protected landowners accepted protection (breeding habitat), without upland measures. Page | 4 Species Action Plan Eastern Spadefoot Natural Diversity Section June 2011 6) Initiate and support research that would 3) Continue to survey for undocumented enhance the management of eastern populations of eastern spadefoot within spadefoot and implementation of this their historically-occupied range. action plan. a. Analyze the results of the SWG study to determine the need for References additional surveys. b. Develop GIS model for use in targeting surveys. Driver, E. C. 1936. Observations of c. Estimate population size through Scaphiopus holbrooki (Harlan). Copeia focused studies on documented 1:67. newly documented populations. Hulse, A. C., C. J. McCoy, and E. Censky. 4) Initiate monitoring of protected sites. 2001. Amphibians and Reptiles of a. Establish baseline dataset. Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Cornell b. Write and implement monitoring University. protocol. c. Apply results from the monitoring Jansen, K. P., A. P. Summers, and P. R. effort to improve management Delis. 2001. Spadefoot toads habitat plans. (Scaphiopus holbrookii holbrookii) in an urban landscape: effects of nonnatural 5) Continue and expand ongoing protection substrates on burrowing in adults and measures for eastern spadefoot juveniles. Journal of Herpetology, populations. 35(1): 141-145. a. Review and comment on permit applications that involve proposed Klemens, M. K. 1993. Amphibians and temporary and/or permanent Reptiles of Connecticut and adjacent disturbances
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