Catoctin Amphibian Monitoring 2023

Wood frog (Rana sylvatica)

NPS / C. Shafer

Home to at least 14 amphibian species!

We monitor amphibians in wetlands and streams at Catoctin Mountain Park. Field teams visit wetland pools, recording which amphibian species they observe and in which sites. Looking across all sites in a park, they generate a measure of species “occupancy,” that shows what proportion of sites are occupied by a particular species. Stream monitoring for amphibians occurred for the first time in 2023.

We want to know, “is there a change in occupancy over time?”

A few amphibian species are found outside of the wetland and stream environments that we monitor (like terrestrial, red-backed salamanders and burrowing, eastern spadefoot toads). These species may live in the park, but our monitoring is not designed to document them. While we do record incidental sightings, they are excluded from the data analysis.

Wetland Amphibians

In 2023, we observed four wetland species. A stream amphibian species, the northern spring salamander, was also observed during the wetland survey. Since amphibian monitoring began in Catoctin in 2015, we have observed a total of 11 wetland species (see Figure 1). Lower numbers in 2023 are the result of fewer visits to monitoring sites. Usually there are two each year. Field crews visited 18 wetland sites once in April of 2023.

Northern green frogs were the most abundant wetland amphibian detected in 2023 (one adult and 22 larvae observed). Northern green frogs and American bullfrogs were observed at the most sites (each detected at two wetlands).

See below for how to read this figure!

Wetland Amphibians Occupancy Trends

Figure 1. Graphs showing occupancy probability by amphibian species in wetland pools at Catoctin Mountain Park.

NPS

How to read the wetland occupancy figure

• Dark gray bars show the occupancy based on raw amphibian sightings
• Black dots (connected by black lines) are estimates of occupancy. (Estimates help fill in observation gaps since amphibians can easily hide and avoid detection, so that there are usually more individuals present than can be counted by monitoring teams)
• Light gray shaded areas are 95% credible intervals
• "Gray treefrog complex" and "Toad complex" refer to closely related gray treefrog species and toad species are grouped together
• The “Trend” text box at the top of each graph contains a numeric trend value and a color that shows the direction of estimated occupancy trends. Blue is positive, white is neutral, yellow is slightly negative, and red is negative. The numbers in the parentheses represent the 95% credible intervals
• Species are listed in alphabetical order by their common names

Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)

NPS / C. Shafer

Stream Amphibians

As of 2023, we have observed one stream amphibian species: the northern two-lined salamander. A terrestrial amphibian species, the red-backed salamander, was also observed during the stream survey. Field crews visited one stream for the first time in May of 2023.

Figures showing stream amphibian occupancy will be provided once we have a few more years of stream survey data.

Disclaimer 3/1/2024: These data are preliminary or provisional and are subject to revision. They are being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The data have not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and are provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the data.