List of amphibians of Arkansas

The U.S. state of Arkansas is located in the central part of the country. This list is derived largely from the Herps of Arkansas website.[1] Conservation status is derived from NatureServe and represents the species' status within the state rather than their worldwide status. In Arkansas, there are 25 species of frog and toad, and 32 species of newts and salamanders. Of these species, 18 are ranked as "secure", 6 are "apparently secure", 10 are "vulnerable", 11 are "imperiled", 7 are "critically imperiled", and 1 is "possibly extirpated"; 3 species are not assessed.

Frogs and toads

Order: Anura - frogs and toads

Family: Bufonidae - true toads

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
[n 1]	Dwarf American toad	Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi (Bragg, 1954)	Secure[2]	Non-nominate subspecies	Statewide
	Fowler's toad	Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882)	Secure[3]	Hybridizes with Woodhouse's toad in the southwestern part of the state, but A. woodhousii is not itself known to occur in Arkansas	Statewide

Family: Hylidae - tree frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Blanchard's cricket frog	Acris blanchardi Harper, 1947	Secure[4]		Statewide
	Western bird-voiced tree frog	Dryophytes avivoca avivoca (Viosca, 1928)	Vulnerable[5][n 2]	Sometimes put in the genus Hyla	Along various waterways throughout southwestern and central Arkansas
	Cope's gray tree frog	Dryophytes chrysoscelis (Cope, 1880)	Apparently secure[6]	Usually indistinguishable from Dryophytes versicolor without DNA analysis or analysis of mating call[7] Sometimes put in the genus Hyla	Most of Arkansas except the northwest
	Green tree frog	Dryophytes cinereus (Schneider, 1799)	Secure[8]	Sometimes put in the genus Hyla	Most of Arkansas except north-central and northwest
	Squirrel tree frog	Dryophytes squirellus (Daudin, 1800)	Critically imperiled[9]	Sometimes put in the genus Hyla	Southeastern and south-central Arkansas
	Gray tree frog	Dryophytes versicolor (Le Conte, 1825)	Apparently secure[10]	Usually indistinguishable from Dryophytes chrysoscelis without DNA analysis or analysis of mating call[7] Sometimes put in the genus Hyla	Northwestern Arkansas
	Spring peeper	Pseudacris crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1838)	Secure[11]		Mostly statewide, more scattered throughout the east
	Cajun chorus frog	Pseudacris fouquettei Lemmon et al., 2008	Secure[12]		Statewide except southeast and north-central
	Illinois chorus frog	Pseudacris illinoensis Smith, 1951	Critically imperiled[13]		Sand prairies of eastern Clay County, although its habitat has recently been converted to agricultural land[1]
	Boreal chorus frog	Pseudacris maculata Agassiz, 1850	Imperiled[14]		Only confirmed from Pea Ridge National Military Park in Benton County
	Strecker's chorus frog	Pseudacris streckeri A. A. Wright & A. H. Wright, 1933	Imperiled[15]		Along the Arkansas River in central and western Arkansas

Family: Microhylidae - narrow-mouthed frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Eastern narrow-mouthed toad	Gastrophryne carolinensis (Holbrook, 1835)	Secure[16]		Statewide
	Western narrow-mouthed toad	Gastrophryne olivacea Hallowell, 1856	Imperiled[17]		Generally along the Arkansas River in central and western Arkansas, southern and northwestern populations of uncertain validity

Family: Ranidae - typical frogs

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Crawfish frog	Lithobates areolatus	Imperiled[18]	Subspecies L. a. areolatus across most of range, L. a. circulosus may occur in southwest[1]	Northeast, northwest, southwest, and along Arkansas River until Lake Maumelle, where the range extends northeast to the intersection of the Black River and White River[1]
	Plains leopard frog	Lithobates blairi (Mecham et al., 1973)	Critically imperiled[19]		Northern Mississippi County
	American bullfrog	Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802)	Secure[20]		Statewide
	Green frog	Lithobates clamitans (Latreille, 1801)	Apparently secure[21]	Two subspecies: The northern green frog (L. c. melanota) occurs in the northwest and central parts of Arkansas The bronze frog (L. c. clamitans) occurs in the northeast, east, and south	Statewide
	Pickerel frog	Lithobates palustris (Le Conte, 1825)	Apparently secure[22]		Northern and southwestern Arkansas, scattered records statewide
	Coastal Plains leopard frog	Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius (Harlan, 1825)	Secure[23][n 3]	Non-nominate subspecies	Statewide
	Wood frog	Lithobates sylvaticus (Le Conte, 1825)	Vulnerable[24]		Northwestern Arkansas, in Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains[1]

Family: Scaphiopodidae - American spadefoots

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Eastern spadefoot	Scaphiopus holbrookii (Harlan, 1835)	Imperiled[25]	Formerly considered the same species as Hurter's spadefoot	Northeastern Arkansas, historical records south of this along the Mississippi River may represent this species or Hurter's spadefoot[1]
	Hurter's spadefoot	Scaphiopus hurterii Strecker, 1910	Imperiled[26]	Formerly considered the same species as the eastern spadefoot	Along various rivers in northern and central Arkansas; widespread in southwest. Populations in southeast may be this species or eastern spadefoot. Northwestern populations are extirpated[1]
	Plains spadefoot	Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)	Critically imperiled[27]		Along the Arkansas River in central Arkansas

Newts and salamanders

Order: Caudata

Family: Ambystomatidae - mole salamanders

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Ringed salamander	Ambystoma annulatum Cope, 1886	Vulnerable[28]		Northwestern and western Arkansas
	Spotted salamander	Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw, 1802)	Secure[29]		Statewide
	Marbled salamander	Ambystoma opacum (Gravenhorst, 1807)	Secure[30]		Statewide except northwest
	Mole salamander	Ambystoma talpoideum Holbrook, 1838	Vulnerable[31]		Southwestern Arkansas, and east of the Black River in the northeast
	Small-mouthed salamander	Ambystoma texanum (Matthes, 1855)	Secure[32]		Most of Arkansas except north-central
	Eastern tiger salamander	Ambystoma tigrinum (Green, 1825)	Vulnerable[33]		Eastern Springfield Plateau in northern Arkansas

Family: Amphiumidae - Amphiumas

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Three-toed amphiuma	Amphiuma tridactylum Cuvier, 1827	Secure[34]		Southern, eastern, and central Arkansas

Family: Cryptobranchidae - giant salamanders

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Ozark hellbender	Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi	Critically imperiled[35]	Sometimes raised to species status,[1] but usually considered a subspecies of eastern hellbender	Formerly more widespread through northern Arkansas, now restricted to Eleven Point River in northern Randolph County

Family: Plethodontidae - lungless salamanders

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Ouachita dusky salamander	Desmognathus brimleyorum Stejneger, 1895	Secure[36]		Western and central Arkansas
	Spotted dusky salamander	Desmognathus conanti Rossman, 1958	Possibly extirpated[37]		Possibly extirpated, formerly found along eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge in eastern Arkansas
	Seal salamander	Desmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916	Introduced[1]		Introduced to Spavinaw Creek in Benton County
	Southern grotto salamander	Eurycea braggi (Smith, 1968)	Not assessed, least concern by IUCN[38]	Endemic or mostly endemic to Arkansas Forms a species complex with E. spelaea and E. nerea, only distinguished by range or genetic testing[1]	Between Beaver Lake and the Strawberry River on the Ozark Plateau
	Spotted-tail salamander	Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822	Apparently secure[39]		Northern Arkansas, west of the Black River
	Dark-sided salamander	Eurycea melanopleura (Cope, 1894)	Not assessed		Northern Arkansas, west of the Black River
	Many-ribbed salamander	Eurycea multiplicata (Cope, 1869)	Secure[40]		Western-central Arkansas
	Northern grotto salamander	Eurycea nerea (Bishop, 1944)	Not assessed, least concern by IUCN[41]	Forms a species complex with E. spelaea and E. braggi, only distinguished by range or genetic testing[1]	Between the Current River and Strawberry River, possibly further locations to the west
	Western dwarf salamander	Eurycea paludicola (Mittleman, 1947)	Vulnerable[42]		Southern Arkansas
	Western grotto salamander	Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger, 1892)	Vulnerable[43]	Forms a species complex with E. nerea and E. braggi, only distinguished by range or genetic testing[1]	West of the White River in Benton County and Washington County
	Ouachita streambed salamander	Eurycea subfluvicola Bonnett, 2014	Critically imperiled[44]	Endemic to Arkansas	Lake Catherine State Park, Hot Spring County
	Oklahoma salamander	Eurycea tynerensis Moore & Hughes, 1939	Vulnerable[45]		Northern and northwestern Arkansas
	Four-toed salamander	Hemidactylium scutatum (Temminck, 1838	Imperiled[46]		Western Arkansas in central Ouachita Mountains, distinct population in Cleburne County
	Western slimy salamander	Plethodon albagula Grobman, 1944	Apparently secure[47]	Forms a species complex with P. kiamichi and P. kisatchie	Northern, central, and eastern Arkansas, with a disjointed population centered around Bradley County[1]
	Ozark zigzag salamander	Plethodon angusticlavius Grobman, 1944	Vulnerable[48]		Northwestern and north-central Arkansas
	Caddo Mountain salamander	Plethodon caddoensis C. H. Pope & S. H. Pope, 1951	Imperiled[49]	Endemic to Arkansas	Western part of the Caddo Mountain range within the Ouachita Mountains
	Fourche Mountain salamander	Plethodon fourchensis Duncan & Highton, 1979	Imperiled[50]	Endemic to Arkansas	Fourche and Iron Forks mountain ranges within the Ouachita Mountains
	Kiamichi slimy salamander	Plethodon kiamichi Highton, 1989	Critically imperiled[51]	Forms a species complex with P. albagula and P. kisatchie	Eastern edge of Kiamichi Mountains in Polk County, Scott County, and Sebastian County
	Louisiana slimy salamander	Plethodon kisatchie Highton, 1989	Imperiled[52]	Forms a species complex with P. albagula and P. kiamichi	Southern shore of Ouachita River in Union County
	Rich Mountain salamander	Plethodon ouachitae Dunn & Heinze, 1933	Imperiled[53]		Ouachita Mountains in northern Sevier County and a small part of bordering Polk County
	Southern red-backed salamander	Plethodon serratus Grobman, 1944	Vulnerable[54]		Most of the Ouachita Mountains in western Arkansas

Family: Proteidae - mudpuppies

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Red River mudpuppy	Necturus louisianensis Viosca, 1938	Secure[55]	Phylogeny and distribution of the mudpuppies is poorly understood	Most major rivers, lakes, and streams throughout the state, Red River and Mississippi River populations may represent different species[1]

Family: Salamandridae - newts

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Central newt	Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis (Wolterstorff, 1914)	Secure[56][n 4]	Non-nominate subspecies		Essentially statewide, more scattered throughout eastern part of Arkansas

Family: Sirenidae - sirens

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Status	Notes	Distribution
	Western lesser siren	Siren nettingi Goin, 1942	Secure[57]	Formerly considered conspecific with Siren intermedia	Southern, central, and eastern Arkansas

Species potentially in Arkansas

Some species are unconfirmed in Arkansas but may occur. Many of these species are separated from Arkansas by the Mississippi River, and may be common in the bordering regions of Mississippi and Tennessee. Other species may be hypothesized to occur in the state but are not confirmed. Some have gene flow and form species hybrids in the state with a more widespread species, but purebred members of one of the hybrid parent species are not confirmed.[1]

• Rocky Mountain toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii) - Gene flow between this species and A. fowleri has been recorded in southwest Arkansas, but no purebred members of this species have been found.
• Eastern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River, but not recorded west of it.[1]
• Southern cricket frog (Acris gryllus) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River, but not recorded west of it.[1]
• Upland chorus frog (Pseudacris feriarum) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River, but not recorded west of it; may occupy regions in the northeast.[1]
• Catahoula spotted dusky salamander (Desmognathus catahoula) - Recently described species known from eastern Texas and northern Louisiana. Its range may extend into southern Arkansas.[58]
• Southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River, but not recorded west of it.[1]
• Three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River, but not recorded west of it.[1]
• Long-tailed salamander (Eurycea longicauda) - Some gene flow with the dark-sided salamander (Eurycea melanopleura) around Randolph County is reportedly from this species, but this species has not been confirmed in Arkansas.[1]
• Mississippi slimy salamander (Plethodon mississippi) - Widespread east of the Mississippi River and especially near Memphis but not recorded west of the Mississippi River.[1]
• Western waterdog (Necturus beyeri) - Red River and Mississippi River populations of Necturus louisianensis may be this species.

Notes

1. This image shows the subspecies Anaxyrus americanus americanus; the Arkansas subspecies is not present on Wikimedia Commons
2. Ranked at species level rather than subspecies level in Arkansas
3. Ranked at species level rather than subspecies level in Arkansas
4. Ranked at species level rather than subspecies level in Arkansas

References

1. "Identification Guide for Amphibians and Reptiles in Arkansas". Herps of Arkansas. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
2. "Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
3. "Anaxyrus fowleri". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
4. "Acris blanchardi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
5. "Dryophytes avivoca". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
6. "Dryophytes chrysoscelis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
7. Roseman, Kimberly (2017). "The Utility of Hyla squirrella Microsatellite DNA Markers for Population Genetic Studies of Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis". Western Illinois University ProQuest Dissertations. ProQuest 1933027058.
8. "Dryophytes cinereus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
9. "Dryophytes squirellus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
10. "Dryophytes versicolor". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
11. "Pseudacris crucifer". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
12. "Pseudacris fouquettei". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
13. "Pseudacris illinoensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
14. "Pseudacris maculata". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
15. "Pseudacris streckeri". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
16. "Gastrophryne carolinensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
17. "Gastrophryne olivacea". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
18. "Lithobates areolatus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
19. "Lithobates blairi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
20. "Lithobates catesbeianus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
21. "Lithobates clamitans". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
22. "Lithobates palustris". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
23. "Lithobates sphenocephalus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
24. "Lithobates sylvaticus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
25. "Scaphiopus holbrookii". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
26. "Scaphiopus hurterii". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
27. "Spea bombifrons". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
28. "Ambystoma annulatum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
29. "Ambystoma maculatum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
30. "Ambystoma opacum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
31. "Ambystoma talpoideum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
32. "Ambystoma texanum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
33. "Ambystoma tigrinum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
34. "Amphiuma tridactylum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
35. "Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
36. "Desmognathus brimleyorum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
37. "Desmognathus conanti". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
38. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2023). "Eurycea braggi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T200107550A200107602. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T200107550A200107602.en. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
39. "Eurycea lucifuga". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
40. "Eurycea multiplicata". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
41. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2023). "Eurycea nerea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T200107639A200107662. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T200107639A200107662.en. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
42. "Eurycea paludicola". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
43. "Eurycea spelaea". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
44. "Eurycea subfluvicola". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
45. "Eurycea tynerensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
46. "Hemidactylium scutatum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
47. "Plethodon albagula". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
48. "Plethodon angusticlavius". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
49. "Plethodon caddoensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
50. "Plethodon fourchensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
51. "Plethodon kiamichi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
52. "Plethodon kisatchie". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
53. "Plethodon ouachitae". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
54. "Plethodon serratus". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
55. "Necuturs louisianensis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
56. "Notophthalmus viridescens". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
57. "Siren nettingi". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
58. Frost, Darrel R. "Desmognathus catahoula Pyron and Beamer, 2023". Amphibian Species of the World 6.2, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved September 25, 2024.