Survey of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptles of the Conneaut Creek Drainage System, Ashtabula County, Ohio

2004·13.4 MB·English

by  Timothy O Matson

KIRTLANDIA
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
March 2004 Number 54:1-32
SURVEY OF FISHES, AMPHIBIANS, AND REPTILES
OF THE CONNEAUT CREEK DRAINAGE SYSTEM,
ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO
TIMOTHYO.MATSON,ROBERTAL.MUEHLHEIM,andJAMESC.SPETZ*
TheClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistory
1 WadeOvalDrive,Cleveland,Ohio44106-1767
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Asurveyoffishes,amphibians,andreptileswasconductedintheOhioportionoftheConneaut
Creekdrainagesystem,AshtabulaCounty,duringtheyears1996-2003.Objectivesofthesurveywere
todeterminethespeciescompositionoffishes,amphibians,andreptiles;toestimatetheirabundances;
andtodeterminetheirrespectivegeographicdistributionswithintheOhioportionofthewatershed.
Qualitativeandquantitativeoccurrencedatawerecompiledfrommultiplesourcesfor83sitesintwo
townships andoneincorporatedcommunity. In all, 75 speciesoffishesplus twohybridtaxa, 19
speciesofamphibians,and 14speciesofreptilesweredocumentedforthewatershed.Speciesrich-
nessanddesignatedabundancesateachsiteaswellasoccurrenceandfrequencyofoccurrenceover
allsitesarepresented.Drainagesystemrecordsof17speciesoffishesandthreespeciesofreptiles
werenoted.Thesurveyproducednewtownshiprecordsforfourspeciesofamphibiansand11species
ofreptiles.ArecordofStemotherusodoratawasdocumentedforAshtabulaCounty.Threespecies
offishespreviouslyknownfromthewatershedwerenotencountered.
Introduction Fine-graineddatabaseduponmanyproximatesitesprovide
Surveysofamphibiansandreptilesarefrequentlydone agoodtemporalpictureofthegeographicdistributionand
forpoliticalunitssuchascountiesortownshipsorforother abundance ofspecies within that watershed and are often
usuallysmallerartificialunitssuchasparksornaturalareas. moreusefulforfutureenvironmental studies, assessments,
Datacollectedintheseanthropogenicgeographicunitscan andplanningthancoarse-graineddata.
easily be plotted on maps and used forreferencing pres- Weconductedasurveytodeterminethespeciescompo-
ence/absence, local abundance, and coarse-grained geo- sitionoffishes, amphibians, andreptiles; toestimate then-
graphic distribution. Fish surveys often conform with this abundances; and to determine their respective geographic
methodologybutareconductedateasilyaccessiblesitesat distributionswithintheOhioportionoftheConneautCreek
disjunctlocales,thedatafromwhichmaybeeithercoarseor drainage system in Ashtabula County. To achieve those
finegrained.Fishdata,however,areindicativeofthespecies objectives, records were compiled frompublishedreports,
that live within the drainage system, typically a naturally fromtheOhioEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyFINS(Fish
occurringgeomorphicallyandgeographicallydefinedentity. Information Network System) database, from field survey
^Currentaddress:ClevelandMetroparkSystems,4101FultonParkway,Cleveland,OH44144
MATSON,MUEHLHEIM,ANDSPETZ No.54
Figure1.MapoftheOhioportionofConneautCreekdrainagesystemshowing83surveysitelocations.
reports conducted by the United States Fish andWildlife nonehave recognizednames(USGS7.5minuteseriestopo-
Service,fromtheichthyologyandherpetologycollectionsof graphicmaps:Conneaut1996andNorthKingsville1994).
the Cleveland Museum ofNatural History, and from our TwophysiographicsectionsarerepresentedinAshtabula
extensiverecentfieldsurveys. County(Anderson, 1983;Brockman,2002).TheErieLake
Plain Section(Brockman, 2002), anortheasternextension
SiteDescription of the Huron-Erie Lake Plains of the Central Lowland
TheheadwatersofConneautCreekareinnorthwestern Province,extendsalongLakeErieaslakeplaininanarrow
PennsylvaniafromwhereitcourseswestwardintoAshtabula zone approximately 5.6km (3.5 mi) wide nearConneaut
County,themostnortheasterncountyofOhio. Ofitstotal (WhiteandTotten, 1979,p.4).TheErieLakePlainisbor-
drainageareaof495.2km2(191.2mi2),thelower20percent deredonthesouthbythePortageEscarpment(Brockman,
or97.6km2(37.7mi2)islocatedinOhio(OhioDepartment 2002),atransitionalbeltapproaching4.8km(3mi)inwidth
ofNatural Resources Division ofWater, 1960). Conneaut thatincreasesinelevationtothesouth(WhiteandTotten,
Creek enters the Central Basin of Lake Erie through 1979,p.4).TheGlaciatedAlleghenyPlateaus(Brockman,
Conneaut harbor in the city ofConneaut, Ohio; it flows 2002), the western portion of the Appalachian Plateaus
through Monroe and Kingsville townships and Conneaut Province,risesabovethePortageEscarpmenttothesouth
Incorporated.Few3rdordertributarystreamsdrainintothe (WhiteandTotten, 1979;White, 1982).
Ohioportion.Mosttributariesareeither1stor2ndorder,and Pleistoceneglacialdepositionwithconcurrentandsubse-
2004 SURVEYOFFISHES 3
Figure 2. Conneaut Creek valley within the Portage Figure4.SeasonalchannelpondontheforestedConneaut
EscarpmentshowingthesteepChagrinShalenortheastfac- Creek flood-plain. Photograph taken 2April 2003 ofthe
ingslopewithtwopatchesofsnowremaining.Photograph northwestfacingslopeatTheClevelandMuseumofNatural
taken 2April 2003 ontheforestedflood-plainofsite 38, HistoryHubbardpreserveabout50meastofmouthofthe
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Blakeslee tributarystreamofFigure3.
BarrowsPreserve.
northeasternOhio,thePainesvilleMoraineliesontheupper
partoftheescarpmentandischaracterizedbyrollingtopogra-
phy with till hummocks reaching 9 m (30 ft) (White and
Totten, 1979,p. 11).TheAshtabulaMoraineliesnorthand
paralleltothePainesvilleMoraine onthelowerpartofthe
escarpment.Knollsupto9m(30ft)inelevationcreaterolling,
hummockytopography(WhiteandTotten, 1979,p. 11).
ConneautCreekflows westwardfromPennsylvaniain
the deep gorge separating the Painesville Moraine to the
southandtheAshtabulaMorainetothenorth.About1.1km
(0.7mi)eastofKingsvillethecreekabruptlybendsnorth
(Figure1)throughalargegapintheAshtabulaMoraineand
thenflowseastwardonthelakeplainbetweentheAshtabula
MoraineonthesouthandArkonabeachridgeonthenorth.
Blockage ofthe oldConneautCreekchannel by ice with
Figure3.SecondordertributarystreamofConneautCreek depositionoftheWhittleseybeachridgeofsandsandgrav-
showing acascading waterfall overChagrin Shale and a elsforcedConneautCreekeastward.Thecreekthenflows
closed canopy of deciduous trees and eastern hemlock. eastward about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) where it breeches the
Photograph taken 2 April 2003 ofthe northwest facing ArkonabeachridgenearCampPeetandcoursesnortheast-
slope at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History ward across the lake plain toward Lake Erie (White and
Hubbardpreserve. Totten, 1979). Ohio tributaries to Conneaut Creek head
eitheronthelakeplainorontheescarpment.
TheConneautCreekgorge(Figure2)andthevalleysof
quent erosion have sculptured the current landscape. The most2ndand3rdorderstreamsareincisedthroughthegla-
ErieLakePlainisingeneralflat,poorlydrained,andmost- cial deposits to expose and/or flow upon the underlying
lycoveredwithlacustrinesilts,sands,andgravelsoverlaying Chagrin Shale. Cascading falls, some in excess of 10 m
glacialtills. Itistraversedbyseveralbeachridgesmostof high,overshaleandsiltstonebedrockarecommon(Figure
which are fragmented and breeched by eroding streams 3).Siltstoneslabsarecommoninstreamchannelsandare
and/orwaveactionfromhigher,earlierglaciallakestages. often exposed on the valley slopes. Glacial erratics, in
ThePortageEscarpmentbedrockisoverlaidwithaseries additiontocobble,gravel,sand,andsiltsderivedfromlocal
ofparallel end moraines (White and Totten, 1979). In far rock, occurin sufficientquantities and arrays toproduce
1
4 MATSON,MUEHLHEIM,ANDSPETZ No.54
manifoldhabitats.Some2ndand3rdorderstreamsthathave many specimens and much data. All specimens collected
morainic heads in forested areas and flow eitherentirely duringtheyearsoffieldsurveybytheCMNHweredeposit-
withintheescarpmentorpartiallyonlakeplainhavewater edinthefishandherpetologysectionsoftheMuseum’sver-
temperaturesthatseldomexceed21°C,eveninyearswith tebratecollections.
prolonged droughtconditions and above normal ambient Published township records of occurrence for anurans
temperatures. werecompiledfromWalker(1946),Pfmgsten (1998), and
Channel-marginpools,abandonedflood-plainchannel Davis and Menze (2000); published township records for
ponds(Figure4),andperchedseasonalterracepondsare salamanders were obtained from Pfmgsten and Downs
present within the Conneaut Creekvalley. Several aban- (1989),Pfmgsten(1998),andPfmgstenandMatson(2003);
doned channel ponds support luxuriant aquatic vascular andpublishedrecordsofreptileswereobtainedfromConant
plantcommunities. (1951)andZemco(1974).
GeographicallytheConneautCreekwatershedislocated Intensivestudyofthefish, amphibians, andreptilesfor
inthenortheasternOhioLakeEriesnowbelt.Coldwesterly theOhioportionofConneautCreekwatershedbythepri-
andnorthwesterlywinterwindsacrossanopenLakeErieare maryinvestigatorbeganin1996;itbecameapriorityin1999
warmed,pickupmoisture,andriseslowlyfromthebeachat andcontinuedintoApril 2003. Nets wereusedtocapture
anelevationofabout208 m(571 ft)acrossthelakeplain. fish;1.8mand3.7mseinesand3.7mand7.3mbagseines
From Cleveland eastward the winds are deflected upward allhaving0.47cmmeshwereused.Siteswereseinedand/or
rapidlyovertheescarpmentwherethermaldeclineproduces dip nettedrepeatedly during each visituntil no additional
increasedprecipitation,oftenintheformofsnowfall.Theele- specieswerenetted.
vationofthesouthernboundaryofthePainesvilleMoraine Amphibiansweresurveyedthroughvisualencounter,by
approaches275m(900ft;USGSConneaut,Ohio1996topo- overturningrocks,slabs,logs,andtrashandbyanurancall
graphic map). Climatic data recording stations between recognition. Siteswerevisitedduringseveralseasonsand
Clevelandat235m(770ft)andthecityofAshtabulaat21 varying times ofthe day. Amphibians were captured by
m(690ft)onthelakeplainandinDorsetabout 12.8km(8 hand,byseininganddip-nettingforlarvae,byusingmod-
miles) south ofthe Painesville Moraine on the Glaciated ified cylindrical minnow traps and screened box traps
AlleghenyPlateausat299m(980ft)indicateanincreasein (Heyeretal., 1994).
meanannualsnowfallandprecipitationwithdecreasingmean Reptilesweresurveyedthroughencounter,byoverturn-
annual temperature from west to east (Midwest Regional ingobjectslayingontheground,bytrapping,andthrough
ClimateCenter,Champaign,Illinois).Theseclimaticcondi- roadkill. Metalsheetswerelaidonthegroundinvarious
tions interacttoproduceenvirons thattendtobecool and habitats at sites 37, 41, 42, and 58 to aide in attracting
moistandareindicativeofthosefarthernorth. lizards andsnakes. Baitedfunnelturtletrapswith0.75 m
Mixedhardwoodswitheasternhemlockcovermuchof and0.9mdiameterhoopsandhaving2.5 cmmesh were
thefloodplainofConneautCreek.Gorgeslopesandvalleys usedtocaptureturtles.
ofthetributariesarecool, moistgrowing sitesandeastern Erythrocyte size was used todifferentiatediploidfrom
hemlock-hardwood forests with striped maple are wide- polyploid individuals of the Ambystoma jeffersonianum
spread(Figure3).Denselyshaded,coolenvironmentsoccur complex (Pfmgsten and Downs, 1989; Uzzell, 1964).
inmostravinesofboththeescarpmentandlakeplain. Recognition of the advertisement call served to separate
maletetraploidHylaversicolorfromdiploidH.chrysoscelis
MaterialsandMethods (Matson,1990); erythrocyte size (Matson, 1990) and geo-
RecordsofoccurrenceoftaxawithintheConneautCreek graphic distribution (Pfingsten, 1998; Davis and Menze,
drainagesystemwerecompiledfrommultiplesources.Field 2000)wereusedtodifferentiatetheirtadpoles.
survey records of lamprey were provided by the United Amphibiansandfishesweresalvagedatvarioussitesdur-
StatesFishandWildlifeServiceandincludespeciesrecord- ingandwithinadayfollowingapplicationofthelampricide
edduringlarvallampreypopulationcensusesandthoseindi- TFM(3-trifluromethyl-4-nitrophenol)in 1986, 1991, 1995,
vidualsofallagecohortssalvagedduringlampricideappli- 2000andin2003bymuseumstaffandfieldsurveyperson-
cation (unpublished data, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nelfromseveralstateandfederalagencies.
Marquette Biological Station). Fish survey records were Geographicallongitudinalandlatitudinalcoordinatesfor
obtained fromthe Ohio Environmental ProtectionAgency eachsitearelistedinAppendix1.Sitenumbersintheappen-
FINS database (unpublished data, Ohio EPA). Published dicesreferencethoseplottedonthedrainagesystemmapof
drainage records for fish were recorded from Trautman Figure 1.Whereappropriate,adescriptivelocalitynameis
(1981). The fish collection ofThe Cleveland Museum of givenforasitetofacilitatepositioningonatopographicmap.
Natural History, which includes the Andrew White This surveydidnotinclude man-madebackyardponds
Collection originally at John Carroll University, provided created for home owner fire insurance coverage or farm
1 ) .
2004 SURVEYOFFISHES 5
pondstypicallystockedwithlargemouthblackbass,sunfish, occuronlyinthemaincreek,whereasothersoccurinboth
andchannelcatfish.Thesepondsgenerallyprovidesuitable streamcategories.Anabundancedesignationdoesnotnec-
habitatforarepetitive andpredictable array ofamphibian essarilyindicateequalnumbersofindividualsencountered
andreptilespecies. when appliedtodifferenttaxaortothe sametaxon when
Thenumberofindividualsofeachtaxonencounteredat foundinbothtributariesandConneautCreek.
eachsiteduringeachvisitwasrecordedandwaslaterused The occurrence, the total number ofsites at which a
to assign an abundance designation to eachtaxon atthat taxonwasrecorded,andthefrequencyofoccurrenceif)in
site. The abundance ofa species at a site is a subjective percentwerecalculatedasameansofcensussingtaxaover
evaluation by the principle investigator and reflects the allappropriatesites(SmithandSmith,2001).Thismethod
numberofindividualsoveralllifestagesobservedpervisit is merely an indicator forcomparative purposes because
andsummedoverall visitstothe sitesusingall method- sites were ofunequal size and the times spent searching
ologies. No attempt was made to standardize sampling siteswerenotequal.Thetotalnumberoffishsitesusedin
effortasthatwouldhavebeencounterproductivebecause the frequency calculation was 59 whereas the numberof
allvertebrateclassessurveyedweresampledsimultaneous- amphibian/reptilesiteswas77.
lyandallavailablehabitatswereincluded.Somesiteswere Binomialnamesandcommonnamesoffishesusedarein
surveyedoncewhereasotherswerevisitedasmanyas 1 accordance with those ofthe American Fisheries Society
times.Thestatusdesignationsassignedtoeachspeciesor (Robinsetal,1991);namesofamphibiansandreptilesused
taxonrecorded—areasfollows: are those published by the Society for the Study of
abundant numerousandwidespreadwithinthesite Amphibians andReptiles (Crother, 2001) withoneexcep-
(highde—nsitywithhighfrequencyofencounter). tion.ThenameAmbystomaplatineum(SilverySalamander)
common presentatmanylocalitieswithinthesite wasconserved(Frost, 1985)torefertothetriploidmember
(lowtomoderatedensitieswithmoderatefrequency oftheA.jeffersonianumcomplexhavingtheunisexualbio-
ofencounte—r). type JJL (Petranka, 1998, p. 124). Taxa not included in
uncommon presentatfewlocalitieswithinthesite appendicesareauthoredinthetext.
(low to moderate densities with low frequency of
enco—unter). ResultsandDiscussion
rare few individuals present atrestrictedlocalities Datacompiledfromallsourcesrepresent83differentsur-
(very low density with very low frequency of veysites(Figure1;Appendix 1)withintheConneautCreek
encounte—r). drainagesystem.Amongthose sites,53weresurveyedfor
present only one individual of the taxon was fishes,amphibians,andreptiles;24wereonlysurveyedfor
vouchered with no quantitative assessment of the amphibiansandreptiles(nofishwerepresent);and6were
numberofindividualsencounteredatthesiteduring only surveyedforfishes.The fishcommunityincluded75
asinglesurvey;theassignmentofanabundancedes- species plus two hybrid taxa (Appendix 2), whereas the
ignations—eemspremature. herptofaunalcommunityincluded 19speciesofamphibians
present() thetaxonwasrepresentedbytadpoles and14speciesofreptiles(Appendix3).
—(T),larvae(L),oreggs(E)only.
# thenumberofindividualsofataxonrecordedat Fish
asitewaslow, andweconsideredthedatainsuffi- Three species offishes, the homyhead chub (Nocomis
cientto—accuratelyassignanabundancedesignation. biguttatus (Kirtland, 1840)), the common shiner (Luxilus
A-R(#) thesitewassurveyedmorethanonceand comutus (Mitchill, 1817)), and the eastern sand darter
sufficientdatawereavailabletoassignanabundance (Ammocrypta pellucida (Putnam, 1863)), mapped in
designation.Thisformofdesignationwasusedfor Trautman(1981,p.269,341,648,respectively)asoccurring
amphibiantaxathatutilizeonlyonemedium(aquat- withintheConneautCreekdrainagesystemwerenotdetect-
ic or terrestrial; e.g., Necturus and Plethodon, ed during our field surveys. The striped shiner (L
respectively) where larvae, juveniles, and adults chrysocephalus)waswidespreadinboththetributariesand
have similar probabilities of encounter using the ConneautCreek;becauseofitssimilarityinappearanceto
same search methodologies. It was also applied to thecommonshiner(L.comutus itisfeasiblethatthecom-
reptiles that often occur in relatively low numbers monshinerwasoverlooked.However,neitherourfieldsur-
evenwhencommonbecauseoftheirhighertrophic veysnorthoseconductedbyOhioEPAdetectedthecommon
status.Thequantitativedatashouldfacilitatefuture shiner,andcollectionrecordsforthistaxoninthedrainage
comparisons. precede1955(Trautman,1981).Similarly,collectionrecords
forthe homyhead chub andthe eastern sanddarter in the
Somespeciesoffishoccuronlyinthetributaries,others drainagearepriorto1924(Trautman,1981,p.269and648).
- )
6 MATSON,MUEHLHEIM,ANDSPETZ No.54
Thesespeciesmaybeveryrareormaybeextirpatedfrom Rainbowtrout(Oncorhynchusmykiss)wererecordedat
theOhioportionofthedrainage;thestatusofthesespecies only 12sites. Duringspawningrunstroutpassthroughall
upstreaminthePennsylvaniaportionofthewatershedwas ConneautCreekmain stream sites andmany migrate into
notdetermined. Pennsylvania.Rainbowtroutspawnsuccessfullyinamini-
Brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) were known mumoffourConneautCreektributaries.Weobservedyoung
from two locales on the escarpment in Conneaut Creek ofthe year (age 0) individuals 3-5 cm in total length in
prior to 1954 (Trautman, 1981, p. 537). No tributary streamsovermultipleyearsduringAugustwithwatertem-
streams or wetlands found on the escarpment were sup- peraturesreaching21°Cduringdroughtyears.Theextended
portive of brook sticklebacks during our survey. Brook presenceof predatoryyoungoftheyearofthisintroduced
sticklebacksonlyoccurredatonesitewithinthelakeplain, speciesduringthestreamlarvalstageofDesmognathusand
an isolated pond on the Conneaut Creek flood-plain Eurycea may cause declines in local stream salamander
upstreamoftheSR20bridge. recruitmentthroughdirectpredationorthroughcompetition
Abundancedesignationsforspeciesfoundatmanysites forinvertebratefoodresources.Thesepotentialinteractions
withinthewatershedandspeciesrichnessbetweensitesvar- deservefurtherstudy.
iedconsiderably.Atleastpartoftheapparentvariationwas Invasive roundgobies (Neogobiusmelanostomus) were
attributedtodifferencesinsitehabitatstructureandavailable captured(n=8)beneaththePennsylvaniaCentralRailroad
micro-habitats. Some sites contained deeper sections or bridge,site6(riverdistance3.5km)inmidJulyof2002.The
holesscouredinthebedrock,whereasotherswereshallow- OEPAcapturedonegobyatsite2(riverdistance0.2km)in
erandoftenhadswifterwaterflows. August 1998. This nuisance species (Office ofthe Great
SeventeenspeciesoffisheslistedinAppendix4represent Lakes, 1996)hasapparentlyexpandeditsgeographicdistri-
drainagesystemrecordsnotfistedbyTrautman(1981).Many butionupstreamaminimumof3.3kmsince1998.
ofthesespecieswereprobablypresentinthepast,buttheyare
eitherdifficulttodetect,rareinthewatershed,ortheyarerecent Amphibiansandreptiles
introductions.Thenorthernbrooklamprey(Ichthyomyzonfos Three speciesofreptilesrepresentnew drainage system
sor) is an Ohio endangered species (Ohio Department of records (Appendix 4). Five new township records were
NaturalResourcesDivisionofWildlife,2002). obtainedforfourspeciesofamphibians,and16newtownship
Collectionrecordsofnativelamprey(12sites;Appendix recordswereobtainedfor11speciesofreptiles(Appendix5).
2) indicate occurrences downstream from the Creek Road JeffersonSalamanders(Ambystomajeffersonianum with
coveredbridge(site21,riverdistance11.7km)inConneaut, threeoccurrencesandtheSilverySalamander(A.platineum)
and 10 ofthese records occur downstream ofthe former with one occurrence are rare species within the Conneaut
GrantStreetbridge(site15)orwithinthefirst5.5rivermiles. Creek drainage system. The three sites from which these
Theexoticsealamprey(Petromyzonmarinus)occurredat22 species were recorded are juxtaposed within the Portage
sitesthroughouttheOhioportionofthedrainagesystem. Escarpment on the Blakeslee-Barrows Preserve and
Twenty-one species of fishes inhabited only the wide, Richardson Tract of The Cleveland Museum of Natural
deeperwatersitesfromneartheCenterRoadbridge(site13) History.Oneofthesites(Figure1,site40)wasaflood-plain
downstreamtotheharbor(Appendix2).Thedistributionsof seasonal pool; the second site (41) was an old man-made
foui'speciesoffisheswererestrictedtocool,shaded2,3, pondsituatedabovethefloodplainontheedgeoftheupland
andlarge1stordertributarystreams(Appendix2). forest; the third site (42) was an abandoned channel of
Thefatheadminnow(Pimephalespromelas)wasoneof ConneautCreekthat seasonally contains water. Both sala-
therarestspeciesoffishesencountered(f=3.4%).Thenor- mander species are known from few locales in Ashtabula
malcolormorphwasonlydetectedatsite14.Anorangecol- County(Pfingsten, 1998;PfingstenandMatson,2003);the
oredmorphreferredtoasthe“rosyredminnow”wasfound SilverySalamanderisknowntobeagynogeneticspeciesand
atsite 10in2000.Threeindividualswereobserved;twoof must occurin syntopy with the Jefferson Salamander. We
thosewerecollectedandpreserved.Thiscolorvariantwas speculatethatbasedupontheextentofoursurveysandexten-
firstpropagatedduringtheearly1980sinArkansas(Sutton, siveuseoflarvaefordetectingambystomatidlocalitiesthat
1994)forthe“feeder”marketandthenforthebaitindustry. fewadditionaloccurrencesofthesetaxawillbedocumented
Therosyredminnowsobservedinthetributarywereproba- intheOhioportionofConneautCreek.Aninterestingbio-
bly introduced by sport fisherman or by local aquarists. geographicsimilarityexistsbetweenthelocationsofthesites
Survivorship ofthe rosy red minnow is apparently lower wherethesetaxaoccurinConneautCreekandwhereA.jef-
thanthatofnormallycolored(wild-type)fatheads(Ludwig, fersonianumoccursintheAshtabulaRiverdrainage(Matson,
1996),especiallyduringwintermonths.Samplingatthissite personalobservations).TheonlyknownsitefortheJefferson
in2001didnotproduceanycolorvariantsorwild-typecol- SalamanderintheAshtabulaRiverdrainagesystemisonthe
oredfatheadminnows. PortageEscarpmentapproximately 1.5kmeastfromwhere
n )
2004 SURVEYOFFISHES 7
the river breeches the Ashtabula Moraine and Whittlesey vicinityofConneautCreekareoldrecords(pre-1946)listed
Beach Ridge to flow over the Erie Lake Plain. In the nearFamhamandnearConneaut(J.Davis,personalcom-
Conneaut Creek drainage system these taxa occur on the munication, 2003).NoFowler’sToadsweredetectednear
PortageEscarpmentatsitesabout1.1 kmeast(upstream)of Farnhamduringthissurvey.However,thisspeciesoccurred
the breech in the Ashtabula Moraine where the creek is at foursites within the ConneautCreekgorge. The toads
deflectedtotheeastovertheErieLakePlain. were always eitherin the channel on sand/gravel bars or
ArecordoftheNorthernRedSalamander(Pseudotriton alongthebankconcealedbeneathshaleslabs.Thedistribu-
ruber (Latreille, 1801)) and one of the Four-toed tionofthisspeciesinConneautCreekappearspatchy,but
CSoanlnameaanudterIn(cHoermpiordaatcetdylwuemrescpuutbaltiusmhe(dSchblyegPelf,mg1s8t3e8n))afnodr awdidtihtiinontahleswuartveersyhweod.rkAmsaiymilfialrlidnisgtarpibsuatinodnepxattetenrdntihsedreavnegle-
Downs(1989).Itisunclearfromthestatedlocalitydescrip- opingintheAshtabulaRiverdrainagesystem.Themaindif-
tionifeitheroftheserecordsisfromwithintheConneaut ference in the apparent distribution ofthe Fowler’s Toad
Creekdrainagesystemorfromwithinasmallnearbytribu- between the two drainage systems is that Fowler’s Toad
tarysystemdrainingdirectlyintoLakeErie(R.A.Pfingsten occursattheWalnutBeach/AshtabulaHarborarea,where-
personal communication, 2002). We did not encounter astheAmericanToadoccupiestheConneautHarborarea
eitherofthese species duringoursurvey oftheConneaut (Matson, unpublished data). Currently, the range of
Creek watershed even though considerable search effort Fowler’s Toad in Conneaut Creek extends from site 13
was directed towardtheirdetection. Recentrecords (1991 (Center Road) to site 25 (Camp Peet)just north (down-
and2002)fortheNorthernRedSalamanderonthelakeplain stream)oftheArkonaBeachRidgebreech.
attheKingsvilleSandBarrensinKingsvilleTownshipindi- Three species ofreptiles found during the survey were
cateitspersistenceadjacenttotheConneautCreekdrainage. new drainage records (Appendix 4). The Eastern Spiny
TheMudpuppy(Necturusmaculosus)isnowanuncom- SoftshellTurtle(Apalonespinifera)wastrappedatthreesites
mon and locally rare species in the Ohio portion of ( =5),allonthelakeplain.TrappingupstreamofLocust
ConneautCreek.Butthiswasnotalwaysthecase.Priorto Grove Campground (site 29) and downstream of the
the October 1986 application ofthe lampricideTFM, the ConneautFishandGameClub(site 18)producedonlycap-
Mudpuppywasacommontolocallyabundantamphibian. tures of other turtle species. Additional occurrences both
Formerwidespreadabundanceandstreamdistributionare upstream and downstream are probable because suitable
basedupon salvagecollections made duringand immedi- habitat exists in both directions. However, the softshell
ately following lampricide treatment. For example, 56 preferswaterswithsandormudbottoms(ErnstandBarbour,
MudpuppiesweresalvagedattheCenterRoadbridgesite 1989,p.105);thesubstratethroughoutmuchoftheOhiopor-
(site 67) in 1986. Subsequent searches during this survey tion of Conneaut Creek consists of water swept shales.
and later salvage searches following TFM applications Occurrencesarepredictedtobelocalandpatchy.Theonly
failedtorevealanyindividualsatthissite.Wecontendthat previously published record for this species in Ashtabula
thefouradditionallampricideapplicationssince 1987have CountywasintheGrandRiver(Matson,1985).
had a negative impact upon the recovery ofthis species The Stinkpot(Sternotherusodoratus wasarareturtle
(Matson, 1998). within the Conneaut Creek drainage system. One speci-
Plethodoncinereus,theRed-backedSalamander,occurred men,capturedinApril2003atsite82(Figure 1)duringa
at only 14 sites (f= 18.2%). Although apparently suitable lampricideapplication,isadrainagerecord.Webelievethe
uplandforestedhabitatwas available (Petranka, 1998), this firstspecimenvoucheredfromAshtabulaCountywascol-
salamander was usually encountered in small numbers. lected in Pymatuning Creek in 1997, but this is the first
Annualspringandsummerdroughtsoveryearsprobablycon- publishedoccurrencerecordforthecounty.Thespecimen
tributedtoits apparent smallpopulation sizes and lowfre- from Pymatuning Creek is preserved at the Cleveland
quency of detection. The erythristic color morph of this MuseumofNaturalHistory.Aphotographicvoucherofthe
specieswasfoundatfoursites.Oneerythristicindividualwas ConneautCreekspecimenisalsoattheClevelandMuseum
foundateachsite,buttwoofthe sitesareproximate.This ofNaturalHistory.TheConneautCreekchannelprovides
color morph was previously known from only one site in fewareaswithslowcurrentandsoftsubstrate,thepreferred
AshtabulaCounty(PfingstenandDowns,1989,p.232). habitatofthe Stinkpot (Ernst and Barbour, 1989, p. 77).
DistributionrecordsforFowler’sToad(Bufofowleri)in Somedeepchannelpondsandswampswithinthedrainage
northeastern Ohio are confined to Lake and Ashtabula system appear to provide suitable habitat, but trapping
Counties.Sixoftheexistingseventownshiprecordsinthese resultsindicatethistobearareturtle.Theproximityofthis
countiesareonthelakeplainandmostareadjacenttoLake sitetotheOhio-Pennsylvaniabordercoupledwiththehigh
Erie(Walker,1946;DavisandMenze,2000;personalobser- waterconditions the previous week may have swept the
vations).AlloccurrencerecordsforFowler’sToadsinthe turtledownstreamfromPennsylvaniawaters.
MATSON,MUEHLHEIM,ANDSPETZ No.54
Conant (1951) cited a record of the Spotted Turtle Conant, R. 1951. The Reptiles of Ohio. University ofNotre
(Clemmysguttata)nearFarnhaininConneautIncorporated. DamePress,NotreDame,Indiana.284p.
Weencounteredonlyoneindividualduringoursurvey.The Crother,B.I.(ed.).2001.ScientificandStandardEnglishNames
tfulrotolde-pwlaasinlcohcaantneedlcproosnsdisngthtahtesruoppaodrtatedsietxete7n6sinveeaarqulaatrigce MoUfnedxeAirmcspoth,ainbdwiiiantgnh.sCSaoonmcdimeetRnyepttfsiolreRstehgoeafrSdNtiounrdgtyhCooAfnmfAeimrdpiehcniacbeiNaonirnsthOaunordf
vascularplantgrowth. Repeatedtrappingofthisareaover ReptilesHerpetologicalCircular29.82p.
severalyearsandnumerous searchesfailedtodetectaddi- Davis,J.G„andS.A.Menze.2000.Ohiofrogandtoadatlas.Ohio
tionalindividuals. BiologicalSurveyMiscellaneousContributions,No.6.20p.
FormerdistributionrecordsoftheQueenSnake(Regina Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1989. Turtles oftheWorld.
septemvittata)intheConneautCreekdrainagesystemwere SmithsonianInstitutionPress,Washington.313p.
nearConneaut(Conant, 1951,p.79).Wefoundnewoccur- Frost, D. R. (ed.). 1985. Amphibian Species of the World: A
rencesatsitesinKingsvilleandMonroeTownshipsaswell Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Allen Press and The
asatseveralsitesfarupstreaminConneaut,nearlyasfaras AssociationofSystematicsCollections,Lawrence,Kansas.732p.
the Ohio-Pennsylvaniaborder. Ourrecentobservations of Heyer,W.R.,M.A.Donnelly,R.W.McDiarmid,L.C.Hayek,
QueenSnakeswereallwithinthePortageEscarpmentfrom and M. S. Foster, (eds.). 1994. Measuring and Monitoring
site47upstream. Suitablehabitatwithnumerous siltstone Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians.
slabswasreadilyavailablethroughtheOhioportionofthe SmithsonianInstitutionPress,WashingtonandLondon.364p.
ConneautCreekdrainage system, and Orconectespropin- Ludwig,G.M. 1996.Rosyredandnormalcoloredfatheadmin-
quus(Girard)andCambarusrobustusGirardcrayfishwere now culture: the effects of pond depth and feeding.
AquacultureMagazine,22:102-105.
abundantfoodresources.
Wehavesurveyedthefishes,amphibians,andreptilesat Matson,T.O.1985.AninventoryofthevertebratesoftheGrand
RiverTerraces,AshtabulaCounty,Ohio.Kirtlandia,41:15-21.
numeroussiteswithintheConneautCreekdrainagesystem
andhaveattemptedtoassembleavailablerecordsfromsev- Matson,T.O.1990.Erythrocytesizeasataxonomiccharacterin
eralsources.FishdatafromtheOEPAandthosefromThe otrh.eHiedrenpteitfoilcoagtiicona,of46O:h4i5o7-H4y6l2a.chrysoscelisandH.versicol-
Cleveland Museum ofNatural History complemented our
fieldsurveysbyprovidingrecordsfromwide,deepdown- Matsaonnd,imT.plOic.at1i9o9n8s.fEovriidmepnaccetsfodruehotmoeepriasnogdeiscianppmliucdaptuiponpsieosf
streamsitesforwhichwedidnothaveappropriatecollection the lampricide TFM, p. 279-287. In M. J. Lannoo (ed.),
equipmentavailable.Temporalchangesinthewatersheddue Status and Conservation of Midwestern Amphibians.
todevelopment, landscapealteration,invasivespecies, and UniversityofIowaPress,IowaCity,Iowa.
otherperturbations willundoubtedly alterthecomposition OfficeoftheGreatLakes.1996.Nonindigenousaquaticnuisance
andstructureofthefishandherpetologicalcommunities. species statemanagementplan: astrategytoconfronttheir
spreadinMichigan.MichiganDepartmentofEnvironmental
Acknowledgments Quality.42p.
WeappreciatethewillingnessofR.Kahl,U.S.Fishand OhiGoazDeetptaeretrmoefnOthoifoNsattrueraamls.ReOshoiuorcWeast,eDriPvliasnioInnvoefnWtaotrey,r.Re1p9o6r0.t
WildlifeService,MarquetteBiologicalStation,tosharelam- No.12. 175p.
prey datafromConneautCreekandofD. MichneandR.
Ohio Department ofNatural Resources, Division ofWildlife.
Thoma of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to 2002.Wildlifethatareconsideredtobeendangered,threat-
share fish survey data. We are grateful to the Kirtlandia ened, species of concern, special interest, extirpated, or
Society,anassociatedsocietyofTheClevelandMuseumof extinctinOhio.10p.
Natural History, for providing funding for the following Petranka, J. W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and
Adopt-A-Student interns all ofwhom contributed signifi- Canada.SmithsonianInstitutionPress,Washington.587p.
cantlytothisproject:J.Reblin,J.Cudney,R.Muehlheim,S. Pfingsten, R. A. 1998. Distribution of Ohio amphibians, p.
Dudziak,L. Oberhouse, andA. Schneider.WethankOhio 221-255.InM.J.Lannoo(ed.),StatusandConservationof
WSeeaaGlrsaontthfaonrksmupupsoertuimngastshoecisautmemPe.rCrinotneernfsohripasosfisJ.taSnpceetzi.n CMiitdyw,eIsotwear.n Amphibians. University of Iowa Press, Iowa
tihmeprfioevleddantdhethmeantuwsocrainpot.nymousreviewerswhosecomments PfinNOghosi.toe.2n.,O3Rh1.i5oA.p.,B,ia2onl9dopgFli.actaLel.s.DSourwvnesy,B(ueldsl.e)t.in19N8e9.wSSaelraimeas,ndVeorls.o7,f
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2004 SURVEYOFFISHES 9
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BenjaminCummings,SanFrancisco.771p. Toads.OhioHistoricalSociety,Columbus.209p.
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10 MATSON,MUEHLHEIM,ANDSPETZ No.54
Appendix 1.Latitudinalandlongitudinalcoordinatesandsitenamesofthelocalessurveyedorforwhichspeciesdatawere
availablefrompreviouscollections.Abbreviationsused:dws=downstream;ups=upstream;CMNH=ClevelandMuseumof
NaturalHistory.
SiteNumber Latitude(N) Longitude(W) Township SiteName
1 41°58'10.2" 80“33'8.8" Conneaut Conneautharbor
2 41°57'56" 80“32'48" Conneaut
3 41°57'44" 80“32'33" Conneaut
4 41°57'31" 80“32'33' Conneaut
5 41°57'8.0' 80“31'50" Conneaut
6 41“56'58.5" 80“32'49.8" Conneaut PennCentralRailroad
7 41°56'32.9" 80“33'1.4" Conneaut MainSt.BridgeupstoSR20
8 41°56'30" 80“32'57' Conneaut NorthsideofSR20Bridge
9 41“56'23.0' 80“33'13.0" Conneaut
10 41“56'8.0" 80“33'42' Conneaut
11 41“56'13.5" 80“33'46.9" Conneaut SR7BridgenorthofWeltonRd.
12 41“56'16.0" 80“33'51.2' Conneaut MillRd.Crossing
13 41°56'11.5" 80“34'18.0" Conneaut CenterRd.Bridgeups
14 41“55'59.6" 80“34'40.6" Conneaut
15 41°56'0.1" 80“35'23.9' Conneaut GrantSt.Bridge
16 41“56'2.6" 80“35'42.2" Conneaut ConneautFishandGameClubbeaverdam
17 41“55'57.2" 80“35'49.8" Conneaut ConneautFishandGameClubswamp
18 41°55'43.3" 80“35'33.9' Conneaut ConneautFishandGameClubCC
19 41“55'37.0' 80“35'51.5" Conneaut ConneautFishandGameClubforest
20 41“55'37.0' 80“36'16.3" Conneaut GagingStationatKeefusRd.
21 41“55'12.0" 80“36'36.0" Conneaut CreekRd.CoveredBridge
22 41“55'7.0" 80“36'45.0" Conneaut
23 41“54'50.1" 80“36'20.7" Conneaut CampPeet
24 41“54'32.0" 80“37'3.1" Conneaut CampPeetponds
25 41“54'25.8" 80“37'1.8" Conneaut CampPeet
26 41“54'0.00" 80“37'26.3' Conneaut MarkkoVineyard
27 41“54'20.3" 80“37'58.3" Kingsville
28 41“54'30.7" 80°37'58.3" Kingsville
29 41“54'10.7' 80“38'46.2' Kingsville LocustGroveCampground
30 41“54'1.0' 80“39'0" Kingsville
31 41“53'57.4" 80“39'11" Kingsville
32 41“54'0.5' 80“39'20" Kingsville
33 41“53'34.0" 80“40'7' Kingsville
34 41“53'33" 80“40'4' Kingsville RidgeRd.Bridge
35 41“53'17" 80“38'42' Kingsville CMNHBlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
36 41“53'20.2' 80“39'48.3" Kingsville
37 41“53'23' 80“38'42" Kingsville CMNHBlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
38 41“53'38.0" 80“40'9" Kingsville CMNHBlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
39 41“53'13' 80“39'23.5' Kingsville CMNHRichardsonTract/BlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
40 41“53'19" 80“39'25" Kingsville
41 41“53'23" 80“39'30' Kingsville CMNHBlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
42 41“53'29' 80“39'18" Kingsville CMNHBlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
43 41°53'25' 80“39'16" Kingsville CMNHRichardsonTract/BlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
44 41“53'21" 80“39'7' Kingsville CMNHRichardsonTract/BlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
45 41°53'35" 80“38'30" Kingsville CMNHRichardsonTract/BlakesleeBarrowsPreserve
46 41“53'34" 80“39'13" Kingsville
47 41“53'47.27' 80“38'23.5" Kingsville
48 41°53'31.4" 80“38'19.6" Kingsville CMNHHubbardPreserve
49 41“53'33" 80“38'10' Kingsville
50 41“53'9.8" 80“37'54" Kingsville CMNHHubbardPreserve
51 41°53'5.3" 80“38'9" Kingsville CMNHHubbardPreserve
52 41°53'0.1" 80“37'18.2" Monroe
53 41°53'13.0" 80“37'22.4" Monroe
54 41°53'4.3' 80“37'9.9" Monroe HatchComersRd.atStateRd.
55 41°53'10.1" 80“37'4.9" Monroe
56 41°53'10.0' 80“37'15.0' Monroe StateRd./ThmpikeRd.Bridge
57 41“53'19.7" 80“36'45' Monroe StateRd.Bridgeups
58 41°53'19.0" 80“36'28" Monroe
59 41°53'27.9" 80“36'32.1" Monroe HortonRd.Bridgedws
60 41“53'50' 80“36'3.3' Conneaut SoutheastofSouthRidgeatKeefusRd.
61 41“53'14.5' 80“36'19.9" Monroe
62 41“53'11.8" 80“35'58" Monroe HortonRd.Bridgearea
63 41“54'29.0" 80“35'36.1" Conneaut UnderridgeRd.atBloodRd.
64 41“52'45.9" 80“35'29.9" Monroe WetmoreRd.Bridgeups
65 41“52'55' 80“34'43.2" Monroe HatchComersroadsideditch
66 41“53'31' 80“34'58" Monroe
67 41“53'43.0" 80“34'50.8' Conneaut CenterRd.Bridge
68 41“54'27" 80“34'51" Conneaut HortonRd.atpowerline
69 41“53'39.1" 80“34'41.8" Conneaut