50,000 Observations! And What's Left?
Wow! This project continues to amaze me. I can't believe we have 50,000 herp observations from Florida. This is valuable data and, I hope, leads to positive conservation outcomes for many of these species. We have records of most herps found in Florida, with a few exceptions:
AMPHIBIANS:
Seal Salamander (Desmognathus monticola)
https://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Desmognathus_monticola.pdf
Gulf Hammock Dwarf Siren (Pseudobranchus striatus lustricolus)
http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Pseudobranchus+striatus+lustricolus
Many-lined Salamander (Stereochilus marginatus)
https://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Stereochilus_marginatus.pdf
REPTILES:
Smooth Softshell (Apalone mutica)
https://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Apalone_mutica_calvata.pdf
Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma)
https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/farery.htm
South Florida Rainbow Snake (Farancia erytrogramma seminola)
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/reptiles/South_Florida_rainbow_snake/index.html
Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion)
http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/snakes/mississippigreenwatersnake.shtml
Coal Skink (Plestiodon anthracinus)
http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Plestiodon+anthracinus
Mole Skink (Egmont Key Population) (Plestiodon egregius pop. 1)
http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Plestiodon+egregius+pop.+1
Florida Brown Snake (Lower Keys Population) (Storeia victa pop. 1)
https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/reptiles/snakes/florida-brown-snake/
Smooth Earth Snake (Highlands County Population) (Virginia valeriae pop. 1)
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-snakes/list/virginia-valeriae-valeriae/
Let's find these missing herps!
Thanks for all that you do and keep exploring,
Peter Kleinhenz
FWC Interpretive Writer and Planner
Comments
Did you leave out Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma purposefully? I just checked, and it appears there are no posts of any Farancia erytrogramma in Florida, not just the south Florida rainbow snake.
Are certain records not available to the public, that’s why none appear on website? I’m just curious. Also, congrats to everyone on who contributed to this project! It is quite amazing the sheer number of herp species that are recorded for Florida, considering how elusive some can be.
You're right! I swear that there used to be one observation of one from NW Florida but maybe the observer removed it. I will add it!
All records we have in the project should be available for the public to see, although only curators are able to see specific locality info for obscured observations.
It is very mind-blowing how many observations of some really hard-to-find species there are. It's a testament to how many people are getting out and making an effort to find them. It's awesome!
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