In cooperation with the National Park Service Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Mojave National Preserve Final Report Study # MOJA-00129; Permit # MOJA-2003-SCI-0071 and MOJA-2005-SCI-0013; Accession # MOJA-32 By Trevor B. Persons1 and Erika M. Nowak1 Sidewinder on Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve (photograph by Trevor Persons). Open-File Report 2007-1109 2007 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey 1 Flagstaff, Ariz. U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Suggested citation: Persons, Trevor B., and Nowak, Erika M., 2007, Inventory of amphibians and reptiles at Mojave National Preserve: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1109 [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1109/]. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Mojave National Preserve Final Report Study # MOJA-00129; Permit # MOJA-2003-SCI-0071 and MOJA-2005-SCI-0013; Accession # MOJA-32 By Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1109 USGS Southwest Biological Science Center Colorado Plateau Research Station Box 5614, Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86011 April 2007 Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Study Area Description................................................................................................................... 2 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 2 Sampling Design......................................................................................................................... 2 Field Methods ............................................................................................................................. 3 Spatial Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 3 Voucher Specimens .................................................................................................................... 3 Literature and Museum Specimen Review................................................................................. 4 Data Analysis.............................................................................................................................. 4 Data and Other Products ............................................................................................................. 5 Report Review ............................................................................................................................ 5 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................... 5 Overview of Inventory Results ...................................................................................................5 Literature and Museum Specimen Review................................................................................. 5 Sampling Effort and Efficacy of Methods.................................................................................. 6 Road Mortality of Snakes ........................................................................................................... 7 Estimate of Inventory Completeness .......................................................................................... 8 Evaluation of Inventory Completeness through Species Accumulation..................................... 8 Rare, Exotic, or Sensitive Species ..............................................................................................9 Herpetofauna of Priority Sampling Areas................................................................................... 9 Specimens Collected................................................................................................................. 10 Update of NPSpecies and NatureBib Databases....................................................................... 10 Considerations for Future Inventory Work and Long-term Monitoring....................................... 10 Future Inventory Work ............................................................................................................. 10 Long-term Monitoring .............................................................................................................. 11 Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... 13 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 13 Figure ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Tables............................................................................................................................................ 19 Appendixes ................................................................................................................................... 26 i Abstract As part of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program in the Mojave Network, we conducted an inventory of amphibians and reptiles at Mojave National Preserve in 2004- 2005. Objectives for this inventory were to use fieldwork, museum collections, and literature review to document the occurrence of reptile and amphibian species occurring at MOJA. Our goals were to document at least 90% of the species present, provide one voucher specimen for each species identified, provide GIS-referenced distribution information for sensitive species, and provide all deliverables, including NPSpecies entries, as outlined in the Mojave Network Biological Inventory Study Plan. Methods included daytime and nighttime visual encounter surveys and nighttime road driving. Survey effort was concentrated in predetermined priority sampling areas, as well as in areas with a high potential for detecting undocumented species. We recorded 31 species during our surveys. During literature review and museum specimen database searches, we found records for seven additional species from MOJA, elevating the documented species list to 38 (two amphibians and 36 reptiles). Based on our surveys, as well as literature and museum specimen review, we estimate an overall inventory completeness of 95% for Mojave National Preserve herpetofauna; 67% for amphibians and 97% for reptiles. Key Words: Amphibians, reptiles, Mojave National Preserve, San Bernardino County, California, Mojave Desert, inventory, NPSpecies. Introduction In fiscal year 2000, the National Park Service (NPS) received a substantial budget increase for inventory and monitoring studies. At that time, a nationwide program to inventory vertebrates and vascular plants within the National Parks was initiated. As part of this new inventory effort led by the NPS Inventory and Monitoring program, a total of 265 National Park units (e.g., parks, monuments, recreation areas, historic sites) were identified as having significant natural resources, and these were divided into 32 groups or “networks” based on geographical proximity and similar habitat types. The Mojave Network (MOJN) consists of seven NPS units in the Mojave and Great Basin biomes: Death Valley National Park (DEVA), Great Basin National Park (GRBA), Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), Manzanar National Historic Site (MANZ), Parashant National Monument (PARA), and Mojave National Preserve (MOJA). A biological inventory study plan was developed for the Mojave Network (NPS 2001), and MOJA identified inventory of reptiles as a high priority. A preliminary NPS assessment of inventory completeness indicated that approximately 87% of the potentially occurring reptile species had been verified. Although only a few amphibian species (only one native) have been recorded from MOJA, we included them in our surveys and data mining efforts, in order to produce a comprehensive assessment of both amphibians and reptiles in the Preserve. Park managers identified priority sampling areas for both amphibians and reptiles, focusing on areas that lacked adequate baseline information on species occurrence, had a high potential for increasing the park species list, or were of special management concern. These areas included the Clark Mountain Range, the Piute Range, and two perennial streams within MOJA. One of these, Piute Creek, drains the eastern side of the Piute Range. The other, Cornfield Spring, occurs on the western flank of the Providence Mountains. Objectives