Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 314 Canaan Valley & Environs 2015 Southeastern Naturalist 14(Special Issue 7):314–322 Amphibians in the Canaan Valley Drainage Thomas K. Pauley* Abstract - I have been studying amphibians in Canaan Valley and its surrounding region since 1976. Most of my studies inventoried populations of Plethodon nettingi (Cheat Mountain Salamander). I sampled 29 upland sites on the mountains around Canaan Valley: (1) twelve sites on Canaan Mountain, which forms Canaan Valley’s western rim, were distributed from Chimney Rock, at the southern end of Canaan Mountain, northwards to the Blackwater River at Camp 70; (2) on the eastern rim of Canaan Valley, 17 sites were on Cabin Mountain, from Snowy Point in the north to Weiss Knob in the south. At the montane sites, I observed 11 salamander species and 1 toad species. Salamanders found included Ambystoma maculatum (Spotted Salamander), Notophthalmus v. viridescens (Red-spotted Newt), Desmognathus monticola (Seal Salamander), Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander); Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus (Northern Spring Salamander), Hemidactylium scutatum (Four-toed Salamander), Eurycea bislineata (Northern Two-lined Salamander), Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander), Cheat Mountain Salamander; P. glutinosus (Northern Slimy Salamander), and P. wehrlei (Wehrle’s Salamander). The only toad observed was Anaxyrus americanus (Eastern American Toad). I have monitored one population of the Cheat Mountain Salamander at the headwaters of Yoakum Run on Cabin Mountain since 1986, making this the longest continuously running study of a salamander in West Virginia. I also studied 10 sites in Canaan Valley, where I found 1 toad, 7 frog, and 8 salamander species. Anurans observed included the Eastern American Toad, Pseudacris brachyphona (Mountain Chorus Frog), P. crucifer (Spring Peeper), Hyla chrysoscelis (Cope’s Gray Treefrog), Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog); L. clamitans melanota (Northern Green Frog), L. palustris (Pickerel Frog), and L. sylvaticus (Wood Frog). Urodeles found included the Spotted Salamander, Red-spotted Newt, Desmognathus fuscus (Northern Dusky Salamander), Seal Salamander, Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander, Northern Spring Salamander, Four-toed Salamander, and Northern Two-lined Salamander. Amphibians that may occur in Canaan Valley, but which I have not recorded, include Ambystoma jeffersonianum (Jefferson Salamander); Eurycea l. longicauda (Longtailed Salamander); and Pseudotriton r. ruber (Northern Red Salamander). Introduction Although biologists from Marshall and West Virginia universities and other state universities and colleges have conducted many studies in the eastern highlands of West Virginia, there have been few published works on the resident amphibians. Most papers on the region’s amphibians have involved the distribution and natural history of Plethodon nettingi Green (Cheat Mountain Salamander, Brooks 1945, 1948; Green 1938; Pauley 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987; Pauley and Pauley 1997). Since 1976 I have searched for amphibians in *Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755; tkpauley@comcast.net. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 315 the high elevations (>3000 ft [>915 m]) of eastern West Virginia. My field studies included over 300 sites in the Canaan Valley (hereafter, the Valley) area and have yielded 17 species of amphibians. While most of my field-work has focused on searches for populations of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, I have also examined numerous aquatic habitats. In this paper, I discuss the results of my inventories for amphibians on 4 mountains in the Blackwater River watershed of Tucker County, WV. Inventory sites include Backbone Mountain east to Canaan Mountain, Canaan Mountain from Chimney Rock north to Brown Mountain, and Cabin Mountain from Snowy Point south to Weiss Knob, including the Dolly Sods area along the Allegheny Front (Fig. 1). Previous work to inventory amphibians includes Green (1936) and Pauley (1980, 1993). Green reported on 21 species of amphibians in Tucker County. He observed 11 of these—Notophthalmus v. viridenscens (Rafinesque) (Red-spotted Newt), Hemidactylium scutatum (Temminck & Schlegel in Von Siebold) (Four-toed Salamander), Gyrinophilus p. porphyriticus (Green) (Northern Spring Salamander), Eurycea bislineata (Green) (Northern Twolined Salamander), Desmognathus fuscus (Rafinesque) (Northern Dusky Salamander), Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley) (Fowler’s Toad), A. a. americanus (Holbrook) (Eastern American Toad), Pseudacris crucifer (Wied-Neuwied) (Spring Peeper), Hyla chrysoscelis Cope (Cope’s Gray Treefrog), Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw) (American Bullfrog), and L.clamitans melanota (Rafinesque) (Northern Green Frog)—in the the Valley drainage. Figure 1. Canaan Valley drainage showing the areas where amphibians were inventoried. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 316 I discussed the distribution of 10 amphibian species that I observed during a 3-year study in the eastern upland forest of West Virginia (Pauley 1980). Three mountains I examined, Backbone, Canaan, and Cabin, are within the geographic scope of this paper. I reported the following 5 species: Plethodon cinereus (Green) (Eastern Red-backed Salamander), Cheat Mountain Salamander, P. wehrlei Fowler and Dunn (Wehrle’s Salamander), P. glutinosus (Green) (Northern Slimy Salamander), and Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope (Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander). In a summary (Pauley 1993) of 16 years of research in the upland forests >3000 ft (>915 m) in elevation, I listed 17 salamander, 7 frog, and 1 toad species as having been documented. In that paper, the salamander species (12) listed as occurring in the Valley’s area were Red-spotted Newt, Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw) (Spotted Salamander), Desmognathus monticola Dunn (Seal Salamander), Northern Dusky, Allegheny Mountain Dusky, Eastern Red-backed, Cheat Mountain, Northern Slimy, Wehrle’s, Northern Spring, Four-toed, and the Northern Two-lined Salamanders. Frog species (4) consisted of the Spring Peeper, Cope’s Gray Treefrog, American Bullfrog, Northern Green Frog, Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte) (Wood Frog), and L. palustris (LeConte) (Pickerel Frog). Only one toad species, Eastern American Toad, was found. This paper is a summary of my 38 years of inventory work in the terrestrial and aquatic habitats of the Valley area. Terrestial Amphibian Habitats Picea rubens Sarg. (Red Spruce) forests line the mountain ridges surrounding the Valley. Below the ridges, the canopy is composed of various deciduous tree species. Downslope from the forest and throughout the Valley, old-field habitats are relicts of past agricultural endeavors. Areas of exposed rocks, such as boulder fields and talus habitats, occur at Dolly Sods and on Brown Moun tain. Lungless salamanders (family Plethodontidae) are the dominant amphibians in forests of the Valley’s drainage. The most common salamanders of Red Spruce forest communities include 2 small-bodied eastern woodland species, the Eastern Red-backed and Cheat Mountain Salamanders; 2 large-bodied eastern woodland species, the Northern Slimy and Wehrle’s Salamanders; and the Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander is the most common woodland salamander in West Virginia. It occurs from the eastern half of the Allegheny Plateau to the highest elevations of the eastern mountains. They have been observed on Cabin, Canaan, and Backbone mountains, but not on Brown Mountain. Four field inventories for salamanders were conducted on Brown Mountain from 2000 to 2004, at elevations between 3500 and 3720 ft (1067–1134 m); these studies yielded no woodland salamander species. Two Red Efts, the terrestrial juvenile form of the Red-spotted Newt, were observed at these high elevations, and Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamanders were relatively common on a logging road starting at 3500 ft (1067 m) elevation. The lack of woodland salamanders on Brown Mountain merits further study of the area’s logging and wildfire history. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 317 Such activities may have contributed to the loss of lungless salamanders in areas they previously occupied. The Cheat Mountain Salamander, federally listed as a threatened species, is known from just 5 counties: Randolph, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker, and the western edge of Grant County along the Allegheny Front. Its total range extends from the Blackwater River Canyon in the north, south to Thorny Flat (≈57 miles [92 km]), and from Cheat and Shavers mountains in the west, east to the Allegheny Front (≈19 miles [31 km]). In the Valley’s drainage, I have found them on Cabin, Canaan, and Backbone mountains, but as disjunct populations. The approximate distributions of these noncontiguous populations are: Cabin Mountain—the area between Weiss Knob and the headwaters of Yoakum Run; Canaan Mountain—(1) between Chimney Rock and Cooper Knob in the east and, (2) Blackwater State Park and the southwestern end of the mountain along Blackwater River Canyon in the west; and Backbone Mountain—headwaters of Flat Rock Run northeast to Tub Run (Fig. 1). I have found that the typical habitat of the Cheat Mountain Salamander consists of either (1) stands of conifers such as Red Spruce or occasionally Tsuga canadensis L. Carriere (Eastern Hemlock), or (2) stands of mixed deciduous forests at suitable elevations. Elevations for Cheat Mountain Salamander habitation are above 2500 ft (762 m) in the northern part of the known range (i.e., Spruce Knob in Pendleton County and areas north) to above 3500 ft (1067 m) in the southern part of the known range (i.e., south of Spruce Knob). The forest floor is usually covered with Bazzania spp. (liverworts). Such habitats usually contain rock outcrops, emergent rocks, boulder fields, or narrow ravines lined with Rhododendron spp. (rhododendrons). Two large-bodied eastern woodland species of salamanders, the Northern Slimy and Wehrle’s Salamanders, are found throughout the study area, except Brown Mountain. These 2 species show an interesting vertical distribution throughout the high elevations in the eastern highlands, with Wehrle’s more abundant at 4200–4800 ft (1280 –1463 m) elevation, and the Northern Slimy more common at 3200–3600 ft (975–1097 m) elevation (Pauley 1980). Between those two elevational ranges, that is, between 3600 and 4200 ft (1097 and 1280 m), their numbers are more evenly distributed. The ranges of both species continue into the central regions of the Allegheny Plateau in West Virginia where their vertical offset dissolves. The Green Salamander has not been reported in the Valley or its surrounding mountains, although its preferred habitat, consisting of large emergent rocks and rock outcrops, is present. In 1985, one of my students and I found an adult Green Salamander on Backbone Mountain along the Canyon Rim Trail on the north side of the Blackwater River Canyon. Searches for it at Chimney Rock and other sites with rocky habitats could reveal its presence in the Valley. There are 5 species of Desmognathus (dusky salamanders) in West Virginia, 3 of which occur in the Valley’s drainage. Dusky Salamanders are generally stream dwellers, except the Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander, which is a common Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 318 terrestrial species in the Red Spruce forest. Unlike woodland salamanders that nest in terrestrial habitats, such as under rocks and in logs, the Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander deposits its eggs under cover objects or in underground cavities in or near first-order streams, seeps, or springs. Their abbreviated freeswimming larval period is 1–2 weeks (Marcum 1994). Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamanders are commonly found throughout the Red Spruce forest in sympatry with woodland salamanders. With the exception of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, all salamander species that live in the Red Spruce forest are also found in the deciduous forests on lower slopes around the Valley. For the most part, the Valley’s old fields are dry and do not provide good amphibian habitat. However, Eastern American Toads, Wood Frogs, and Pickerel Frogs could forage in these old-field habitats. If Fowler’s Toads and Lithobates pipiens (Schreber) (Leopard Frogs) are present in the Valley, they may also feed in old-field habitats.. Aquatic Amphibian Habitats I described 8 wetland habitats that support amphibians in West Virginia (Pauley 2000). Six of these—fens, beaver ponds, road-rut pools, roadside ditches, and permanent and ephemeral pools—have been found in the Valley’s watershed. Other aquatic habitats that support amphibians in this area are seeps, springs, first-order streams, and the Blackwater River. Summaries of the species’ aquatic breeding habitats are presented in Tables 1 and 2. Our knowledge of the Valley’s amphibians was augmented by 3 studies of aquatic habitats my graduate students and I conducted during 1992–2002. In Table 1. Aquatic breeding habitats of salamanders that occur or could occur in the Canaan Valley drainage. Note: Not all species were observed in all habitats in the Valley’s drainage. See text for details of locations. Habitat TypesB SpeciesA F BP R-R RD EP PP SE SP FS BR HEBE X SPSA X X X X X X RENE X X X X X X NODU X X X SESA X X X ALMO X X X NOSP X X X FOTO X X X X NOTW X X X ASpecies Codes: HEBE = Eastern Hellbender, SPSA = Spotted Salamander, RENE = Red-spotted Newt, NODU = Northern Dusky Salamander, SESA = Seal Salamander, ALMO = Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander, NOSP = Northern Spring Salamander, FOTO = Four-toed Salamander, and BNOTW = Northern Two-lined Salamander. Habitat Type Codes: F = fen, BP = beaver pond, R-R = road-rut pool, RD = roadside ditch, EP = ephemeral pool, PP = permanent pool, SE = seep, SP = spring, FS = first-order stream, and BR = Blackwater River. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 319 1992, we inventoried aquatic habitats in the Valley. A second study, conducted in 1995 and 1996, examined the effects of ultraviolet radiation and acid deposition on pond-dwelling amphibians in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. In the third and on-going study that started in 2000, we have served as the West Virginia coordinators for the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) frog route inventories. Three of these routes are in the Valley’s drainage. Spotted Salamanders and Red-spotted Newts breed in fens, beaver ponds, road-rut pools, roadside ditches, ephemeral pools, and permanent pools. The Four-toed Salamander is common in most lentic habitats if moss (usually Sphagnum spp.) or loose bark on logs are available as nest cover. Spotted and Four-toed Salamanders leave their aquatic habitats after the breeding season and forage in forest litter, or, in the case of the Spotted Salamander, in subterranean habitats. Red-spotted Newts usually stay in the breeding pools throughout the year. Our studies in lower elevations show that they move in and out of breeding pools as water levels fluctuate (Piascik 1997). Their movement patterns in higher elevations have not been determined. Two toad species, the American and Fowler’s, have been reported to breed in the Valley’s wetlands. We have found the Eastern American Toad to be common in the Valley, but have not observed the Fowler’s Toad. Green (1936) reported one Fowler’s Toad in the Valley in 1935, which, to my knowledge, is the only record of this species in the Valley or the eastern highlands. The Spring Peeper, Northern Green Frog and Wood Frog are common in most breeding sites in the Valley and in upland habitats. Less common species of frogs observed in the Valley include the Gray Treefrog, American Bullfrog, and Pickerel Frog. The Table 2. Aquatic breeding habitats of toads and frogsthat occur or could occur in the Canaan Valley drainage. Note: Not all species were observed in all habitats in the Valley’s drainage. See text for location details. Habitat typesB SpeciesA F BP R-R RD EP PP BR AMTO X X X X X X FOTO X X X X X GRTF X X X X X X SPPE X X X X X X MOCH X X X X X AMBU X X NOGR X X X X PIFR X X NOLE X X WOFR X X X X X X ASpecies Codes: AMTO = American Toad, FOTO = Fowler’s Toad, GRTF = Gray Treefrog, SPPE = Spring Peeper, MOCH = Mountain Chorus Frog, AMBU = American Bullfrog, NOGR = Northern Green Frog, PIFR = Pickerel Frog, NOLE = Northern Leopard Frog, WOFR = Wood Frog. BHabitat Type Codes: F = fen, BP = beaver pond, R-R = road-rut pool, RD = road-side ditch, EP = ephemeral pool, PP = permanent pool, SE = seep, SP = spring, FS = First-order stream, BR = Blackwater River. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 320 Leopard Frog has been reported from the Valley, and may in fact occur there, but a voucher specimen has not been secured. Mark Watson and I found 1 juvenile in the Mount Storm area. Green (1936) reported Cope’s Gray Treefrog in the Valley, but I did not observe them in the eastern highlands until 1985. Since that time, I have found Cope’s Gray Treefrogs in road-rut pools, roadside ditches, and other ephemeral pools, as well as permanent pools, between Elkins to Davis and throughout this entire area, even in the Red Spruce forests. I believe that Cope’s Gray Treefrogs have been invading the eastern highlands since 1985. There are 2 sibling species of gray treefrogs in West Virginia, Cope’s Gray Treefrog in the Allegheny Plateau Physiographic Province and H. versicolor LeConte (Common Gray Treefrog) in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province. Little and Pauley (1986) determined that specimens found on Backbone Mountain in 1985 were Cope’s Gray Treefrogs. Other specimens should be examined to determine if only the Cope’s Gray Treefrog is invading the high elevations from the west, or if the Common Gray Treefrog also is migrating west over the Allegheny Front into the Valley. Pseudacris brachyphona (Cope) (Mountain Chorus Frog ) breeds in roadrut pools and roadside ditches from low elevations along the Ohio River eastward to higher than 3800 ft (1158 m) elevation in the eastern mountains (Pauley 1993). While the Mountain Chorus Frog has not been reported in the Valley, we know that it is in the general area because Green (1936) reported the species in Tucker County. Woodland seeps and springs provide foraging and nesting sites for several species of lungless salamanders. Species commonly observed in the Valley’s seeps and springs include the Northern Spring, Allegheny Mountain Dusky, and Northern Dusky Salamanders. Other species less observed in seeps and springs include the Northern Two-lined and Seal Salamanders. Seal, Northern Dusky, Allegheny Mountain Dusky, and Northern Two-lined Salamanders commonly forage and nest in first-order streams that drain into the Valley. Northern Spring Salamanders are locally common in some of these streams. Pools in the Blackwater River within the Valley could be used for foraging and nesting by American Bullfrogs and Northern Green Frogs. Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis (Daudin) (Eastern Hellbender) has not been reported in the Blackwater River, but was collected in the Cheat River at Parsons in 1936 (Green 1936). Other Amphibian Species that Could Occur in the Valley The ranges of the Ambystoma jeffersonianum (Green) (Jefferson Salamander), Eurycea l. longicauda (Green) (Long-tailed Salamander), and Pseudotriton r. ruber (Latreille) (Northern Red Salamander) extend throughout West Virginia (Green and Pauley 1987). Jefferson Salamanders breed in beaver ponds, open water in fens, road-rut pools, roadside ditches, and permanent pools. Habitats of the Long-tailed and Northern Red Salamanders include seeps, springs, and first-order streams, all of which occur widely in the Valley. Future studies could Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 321 document the presence of these species. Some species of amphibians are secretive and, although present in an area, may remain undetected. Management Implications Amphibians are sensitive to changes in their environment because most have complex life cycles with aquatic and terrestrial stages that expose them to perturbations in both environments. They have permeable skin, gills, and eggs that are susceptible to environmental alterations; their ectothermy makes them vulnerable to temperature fluctuations; many hibernate or aestivate in soils that may expose them to toxic conditions; and they are both predators and prey in terrestrial and aquatic food webs (Dunson et al. 1992). Habitats of particular concern in the Valley’s region are Red Spruce forests, streams, seeps, springs, and temporary and permanent pools because they provide nesting and foraging sites for all of the area’s amphibian species. Timbering should be avoided in areas where these habitats are located. At a minimum, potentially important amphibian habitats should be protected from adjacent logging by a buffer zone of at least 295 ft (90 m; Pauley 1991, Pauley, et al. 2000). Although there have been several inventories in the Valley’s watershed, most have been conducted on the mountains surrounding the Valley. I recommend that more detailed studies be conducted in the Valley during all seasons when amphibians are active, which is late February through October. Author's Note After writing this manuscript but prior to its publication, I observed a Long-tailed Salamander at Dolly Sods, and hence that species can be added to the list of amphibians known to occur in Canaan Valley. Acknowledgments I thank M.B. Watson, B.A. Pauley, and Z. J. Loughman for comments, and a host of students for assistance in the field. Literature Cited Brooks, M. 1945. Notes on amphibians from Bickle Knob, West Virginia. Copeia 1945:231. Brooks, M. 1948. Notes on the Cheat Mountain Salamander. Copeia. 1948:239–244. Dunson, W.A., R.L. Wyman, and E.S. Corbett. 1992. A symposium on amphibian declines and habitat acidification. Journal of Herpetology 26:349– 352. Green, N.B. 1936. The amphibians of Tucker County, West Virginia. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 10:80–83. Green, N.B. 1938. A new salamander, Plethodon nettingi, from West Virginia. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 27:295–99. Green, N.B., and T.K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians and Reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA. 241 pp. Southeastern Naturalist T.K. Pauley 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 322 Little, M.L., and T.K. Pauley. 1986. A new record of the diploid species of Gray Treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 58:57–59. Marcum, C., Jr. 1994. Ecology and natural history of four plethodontid species in the Fernow Experimental Forest, Tucker County, West Virginia. M.Sc. Thesis. Marshall University, Huntington, WV. 254 pp. Pauley, T.K. 1980. Field notes on the distribution of terrestrial amphibians and reptiles of the West Virginia mountains above 970 meters. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 52:84–92. Pauley, T.K. 1981. The range and distribution of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, Plethodon nettingi. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 53:31–35. Pauley, T.K. 1986. Additional notes on the range and distribution of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, Plethodon nettingi. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 58:56–57. Pauley, T.K. 1987. Range of the Cheat Mountain Salamander. Herpetological Review 18:39. Pauley, T.K. 1991. Cheat Mountain Salamander (Plethodon nettingi) recovery plan. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, Newton Corner, MA. 31 p. Pauley, T.K. 1993. Amphibians and reptiles of the upland forest. Pp. 179–196. In S.L. Stephenson (Ed). Upland forests of West Virginia. McClain Printing Co., Parsons, WV. Pauley, T.K. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles in wetland habitats of West Virginia. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 72:78–88. Pauley, T.K., and B.A. Pauley. 1997. Range and distribution of the Cheat Mountain Salamander, Plethodon nettingi: An update. Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science 69:4. Pauley, T.K., J.C. Mitchell, R.R. Buech, and J.J. Moriarty. 2000. Ecology and management of riparian habitats for amphibians and reptiles. Pp. 169–192. In E.S. Verry, J.W. Hornbeck, and C.A. Dolloff (Eds.). Riparian Management in Forests of the Continental Eastern United States. Lewis Publishers, New York, NY. Piascik, J.M. 1997. Natural history of the Red-spotted Newt, Notophthalmus v. viridescens (Rafinesque), in West Virginia. M.Sc. Thesis. Marshall University, Huntington, WV. 82 pp.