Coastal Tailed Frog
Ascaphus truei
Description
Distribution Range
General range map taken from CWHR.
Museum records taken from following institutions: CAS Herps, MVZ Herps, LSUMZ Herps.
Typical Elevation
We do not yet have enough records from distinct localities to calculate typical elevation. We need 22 more distinct localities.
Reproduction and Young
Tailed frogs are the only known frogs to utilize internal fertilization for reproduction. The so-called tail is actually a copulatory organ and is only present on males. Usually in the fall, the male inserts the organ into the female where fertilization occurs. Eggs are generally laid during the following year, typically in spring or summer, usually under rocks on the stream bottom.
Taxonomy
The Coastal Tailed Frog (Ascaphus truei) was originally described in 1899 by Stejneger as Ascaphus truei. See Amphibian Species of the World.
There are no currently recognized subspecies.
Taxonomic Etymology
Ascaphus comes from the Greek. Scaphus is apparently from a Greek word meaning spade. The Greek verb σκάπτω means “to dig” and is probably related, but I am still searching for the actual word transliterated as scaphus. The Greek prefix α indicates an opposite, in this case probably “without”, indicating a lack of metatarsal spade (Beltz 2006).
truei honors Frederick W. True (Beltz 2006).
Taxonomy Notes
This species is one of only two species in its family, Ascaphidae, a leftover relict in a very ancient family. Some taxonomist placed this species in the family Leiopelmatidae along with three species from New Zealand (Stebbins 2003 pg 63) but they have generally moved away from that notion.
The other species in the family is the Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog (Ascaphus montanus). Until recently, they were considered to be the same species as Ascaphus truei (reference needed).
Additional Information
Images
Unless otherwise noted, all images are of wild specimens in Shasta County.
Please be kind, do not hotlink images and do not use images without permission of the copyright owner.
There currently are no images to display.
Habitat Shots
Unless otherwise noted, these habitat shots are from within Shasta County where this species is known to occur.
There currently are no images to display.
Species of Special Concern
This species is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the State of California Department of Fish & Game.
If you come across this species, please note that it may be a violation of state law to collect it or even touch it. Federal laws may also apply.
If you can, please do the following:
- Accurately record the location where the animal was found. The best way to do this is with a GPS device.
- Photograph the specimen. Take as many photographs as you can without causing too much stress to the animal.
- Take note of the habitat and its condition. Photographs are good for this, but do not always tell the entire story.
- Take note on any possible threats to the population. For example, if it is one of our threatened native frog species, is there an American Bullfrog population in the immediate vicinity? Are you aware of an American Bullfrog population in a nearby aquatic system? What about erosion? Introduced trout?
- Report the sighting to the California Natural Diversity Database.
It takes a little effort to file a report, but your report may help the necessary agencies protect that population. It is difficult for them to protect populations they do not know about or populations they think are extirpated. Even species of special concern that are currently doing well in Shasta County should be reported. When population declines happen, they tend to happen very fast. Reports of specific localities where a species is known to have occured may help researchers determine survey sites if our population of one of these species does crash.
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