The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michigan: A Quaternary and Recent Faunal Adventure

A Note on the Species Range Maps

A Note on the Species Range Maps ince 1991 I have endeavored to document the distribution of the species of amphibians and reptiles in Michigan by checking as many literature and museum records as possible (see Holman 2004) as well as records documented by herpetologists presently active in Michigan. James H. Harding of the Michigan State University Museum, Lori G. Sargent of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and David A. Mifsud, Herpetological Resource and Management, LLC (HRM), were especially helpful in providing new records from their ongoing projects.The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology online program about the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Michigan produced by Greg Schneider and Arnold Kluge was very helpful. Other recent providers of Michigan herpetological records include Kenneth Andrews, James Ball, James Gillingham, and John Douglass. Much work remains to be done to fully document the presence or absence of amphibians and reptiles in Michigan. Fortunately, a Michigan Herp Atlas Project has been under way in Michigan since 2002.This atlas is supported by the Nongame Fish andWildlifeTrust Fund and the StateWildlife Grants program. For more information or a copy of the Herp Atlas manual and data cards, visit the MDNR website at www.michigan. gov/dnr. The maps indicate county occurrences for each species rather than using small dots to indicate exact localities (e.g., as in Minton 2001). Michigan’s herpetofauna has already been targeted by illegal collectors in the pet trade (J. H. Harding, pers. comm.), and such dots on state maps can be used by these individuals to find local herpetological “hot spots.” In this book, the recorded presence of a herp species in a county (or on an island) is indicated by a large closed circle within the county or adjacent to an island. Only three major islands are included in the range maps, but the documented presence of herp species on other Michigan islands may be found within the individual species accounts. xix S The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michigan ...