Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern

California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern (Thomson, Wright, and Shaffer 2016), a collaborative project of CDFW and the University of California, Davis, is now available for download. The publication provides a synthesis of the conservation risk faced by California’s amphibians and reptiles that qualify as Species of Special Concern. Using a full list of the native amphibian and reptile taxa known to occur in the state and eight metrics that capture key elements of declining and at-risk species, 73 nominee taxa were scored based on an extensive literature review and evaluation by a Technical Advisory Committee. Peer-reviewed species accounts for each of the resulting 45 Species of Special Concern provide available information on their basic biology, known or hypothesized reasons for decline, proposed management, and future research needs. The result is a clear, transparent publication that explicitly states why decisions were made, supports them with a summary of the best available science, and contributes in a meaningful way to the conservation goals of our State Wildlife Action Plan.

Learn about the Species of Special Concern designation process and usage.

• Download Full Document (33 MB PDF)
• Front Matter (Table of Contents, Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments) (PDF)
• Overview (Introduction, Methods, Discussion) (PDF)
• Literature Cited (PDF)
• Appendices, Glossary, Index, Map of CA Counties and Islands (PDF)
• Species Accounts
  NOTE: please read the Overview, above, to understand the ARSSC evaluation process.
  • Coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) (PDF)
  • Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius) (PDF)
  • Arroyo toad (Bufo californicus) (PDF)
  • Yosemite toad (Bufo canorus) (PDF)
  • Northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) (PDF)
  • Foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) (PDF)
  • Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) (PDF)
  • California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) (PDF)
  • Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) (PDF)
  • Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) (PDF)
  • Lowland leopard frog (Rana yavapaiensis) (PDF)
  • Couch’s spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii) (PDF)
  • Western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) (PDF)
  • Southern long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum) (PDF)
  • Santa Cruz black salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus niger) (PDF)
  • Inyo Mountains salamander (Batrachoseps campi) (PDF)
  • Lesser slender salamander (Batrachoseps minor) (PDF)
  • Relictual slender salamander (Batrachoseps relictus) (PDF)
  • California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) (PDF)
  • Southern torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) (PDF)
  • Red-bellied newt (Taricha rivularis) (PDF)
  • Coast Range newt, southern populations (Taricha torosa) (PDF)
  • California legless lizard (Aniella pulchra) (PDF)
  • Coastal whiptail (Apidoscelis tigris stejnegeri) (PDF)
  • San Diego banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus abbotti) (PDF)
  • Panamint alligator lizard (Elgaria panamintina) (PDF)
  • Cope’s leopard lizard (Gambelia copeii) (PDF)
  • Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) (PDF)
  • Coast horned lizard (Phrynsoma blainvillii) (PDF)
  • Flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) (PDF)
  • Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (Uma notata) (PDF)
  • Mojave fringe-toed lizard (Uma scoparia) (PDF)
  • Sandstone night lizard (Xantusia gracilis) (PDF)
  • Sierra night lizard (Xantusia vigilis sierrae) (PDF)
  • California glossy snake (Arizona elegans occidentalis) (PDF)
  • Red diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) (PDF)
  • Regal ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus regalis) (PDF)
  • San Joaquin coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) (PDF)
  • Baja California coachwhip (Masticophis fuliginosus) (PDF)
  • Coast patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis virgultea) (PDF)
  • Two-striped garter snake (Thamnophis hammondii) (PDF)
  • Common garter snake, southern populations (Thamnophis sirtalis) (PDF)
  • Western pond turtle (Emys=Actinemys marmorata) (PDF)
  • Sonora mud turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense) (PDF)

Previous publication: Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern in California (Jennings and Hayes 1994) (PDF)