CNDDB News Blog

Photo: Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard by Jeb Bjerke (CDFW)

If you have ever walked on sand, you may know the struggle of moving on a constantly shifting terrain. Lizards of the genus Uma, also known as fringe-toed lizards, are desert dwellers adapted to moving on and through sand. These lizards inhabit windblown sand deposits made of fine particles, including dunes and washes.

Aptly named for the protruding scales on their back toes, their fringed toes help them stay on the surface and move across the sand with ease. In addition to their fancy feet, they have protective traits that allow them to burrow in the sand comfortably such as interlocking eyelid scales, ear flaps, and the ability to close their nostrils. Unfortunately, their protective traits have not shielded them from habitat loss and impacts from off-road vehicles.

There are three species of fringe-toed lizards that occur in California, all of which the CNDDB tracks: Uma scoparia (Mohave fringe-toed lizard), U. notata (Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard), and U. inornata (Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard). If you happen to see any of these fancy friends, tell us about your encounter via the Online Field Survey Form.

Today we tip our hat to stoneflies, aquatic insects in the order Plecoptera. Stoneflies have a worldwide distribution of over 3,000 species, around 160 of which occur in California. They’re a hugely important part of riparian food webs!

Stoneflies spend the first 1-4 years of their life underwater as nymphs (or naiads). The nymphs require well-oxygenated water and are highly sensitive to pollution. They undergo successive molts, finally emerging from the water for their final molt into adult form when conditions are just right. Adults are typically winged, though not strong fliers, and survive just a few weeks to mate and lay their eggs over water, beginning the cycle again. Ralph and Lisa Cutter’s film, Bugs of the Underworld, includes a beautifully-filmed stonefly’s-eye view of this life cycle.

Of the two stonefly species CNDDB currently tracks, the Lake Tahoe benthic stonefly (Capnia lacustra) is unusual in that it is wingless and spends its entire life cycle underwater, in the deep-water plant beds 30 to 90 meters below the surface of Lake Tahoe. UNR biologist Annie Caires documented an even more surprising adaptation during her studies of the species: live birth! An article in New Scientist shares more about Dr. Caires’ findings. Unfortunately, the studies also showed habitat and population declines for this unique organism.

At least seven of California’s native stonefly species have developed another astonishing behavior: communication by drumming! Certain species signal potential mates by tapping their posterior abdomens on resonant substrates, producing characteristic rhythms. Dedicated researchers have developed special equipment to record these unique drumming signals. John Sandberg, at CDFW’s Aquatic Bioassessment Lab at CSU Chico, takes his miniature stonefly recording studio into the field; his website includes instructions on how to build your own recording setup. If you’re not ready for that level of dedication, don’t worry: the website also has a page of downloadable recordings and videos of drumming for several species.

If you enjoy these sounds as much as we did, stay tuned for Dr. Sandberg and coauthor Luke Myers’ upcoming manuscript summarizing the known Nearctic signal description from 1977 to 2015. The manuscript, to be published in the online journal Illiesia, will provide a starting point for all future research.

Let the incredible sounds and remarkable behaviors of these tiny animals be a reminder to us all to pay more attention to the insects around us! See the Special Animals List on our website for a complete list of the insects and other invertebrates we track. And don’t forget to report your observations on our Online Field Survey Form!

Live birth of Capnia lacustra nymph (Credit: Annie Caires)

Wingless, aquatic adults of Capnia lacustra (credit: Annie Caires)

With the approach of spring, the grasslands and oak savannahs of Northern California have turned vibrant again. It is time for a rare treasure to reemerge.

Fritillaria pluriflora, the abobe lily, is endemic to the east and west edges of the Central Valley and the surrounding foothills from Tehama County through Solano County. This species has a California Rare Plant Rank of 1B.2, meaning it is rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere, and moderately threatened in California.

Adobe lily grows in clay soils which are often influenced by serpentine. Its bulbs lie dormant several centimeters below the surface for most of the year, seeking protection from summer droughts, grazers, and the occasional wildfires which rush through its habitats.

Between February and April F. pluriflora come into bloom with a display of pink and purple flowers 2 to 3.5 cm in length. Some populations also include a white-flowered form.

Try exploring a quiet country lane this month. If you come across a cluster of these gems nodding in the breeze, don’t speak. Just breathe. Take it in. Imagine the shaggy mastodons who once ambled across fields of this same species of lily, in a land which would later be named California.

When you regain your composure, pull out your phone and collect some coordinates for the CNDDB. Fritillaria pluriflora should not go the way of the mastodon.

©2011 Duncan S. Bell

The saguaro (pronounced sah-wah-roh) cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) can grow to over 45 feet in height and is the largest cactus in the United States. It can survive for over 150 years but grows very slowly and generally does not start reproducing until about 35 years of age. The saguaro cactus only occurs in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and is a critical component of the desert ecosystem providing homes and food for a variety of wildlife.

The saguaro cactus is an iconic component of the landscape in Arizona and northern Mexico with an entire National Park dedicated to preserving and celebrating these cacti (Saguaro National Park in Arizona). In addition to Arizona and Mexico, a few isolated populations of this species occur in the far southeastern corner of California along the Arizona/California border. This means that California can claim the saguaro cactus as part of our diverse native flora!

The saguaro cactus is an excellent example of a plant that is rare within California but more common outside the state (California Rare Plant Rank/CRPR 2B). As such, this species is tracked by the CNDDB with only about 30 occurrences known in California. By tracking species that are rare in California but more common outside the state, we are helping to conserve the entire geographic range of widespread species and protecting evolutionary processes and the genetic diversity of these species.

If you happen to come across a saguaro cactus in California, please submit your observation to the CNDDB using our Online Field Survey Form.

In the “spirit” of the season, we wanted to highlight one of CNDDB’s spookiest species. Imagine wandering along a dark and secluded trail in the forest, a dense canopy of trees above you. You see a white patch on the ground out of the corner of your eye – is it a ghost? Sort of! Monotropa uniflora, a member of the Ericaceae family, is known by the common names ghost pipe, ghost plant, or Indian pipe.

As one might suspect from its ghostly pallor, these plants do not contain chlorophyll and therefore cannot produce their own nutrients. M. uniflora is a mycoheterotroph; they are parasites on underground fungi. In turn, these fungi obtain their nutrients by forming mycorrhizal relationships with tree roots, which means that there is a mutually beneficial exchange of resources between the fungi and tree roots. Therefore, M. uniflora plants are indirectly taking their nutrients from the nearby trees by stealing them from the fungi they are parasitizing. Since M. uniflora does not require direct sunlight and is closely associated with trees, it can be found in dark areas of the forest understory.

Although M. uniflora is widespread through much of Northern America, it is considered rare in California with a California Rare Plant Rank of 2B.2. Currently there are 100 occurrences of this species in CNDDB, all of which are restricted to the far northern coast of California in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. While M. uniflora populations tend to occur in remote and unpopulated areas, this does not mean they are immune to human-caused threats and disturbances. Due to the preference for forested habitats, the primary threat to M. uniflora in California is timber harvest operations.

If you happen to catch a glimpse of this elusive specter in California, don’t forget to submit your observation using the Online Field Survey Form!

Photo credit: Keir Morse