Hey all,
I was wondering if anyone has come across a field guide or reference for keying out tadpoles. I am looking for tips on identifying both salamander and anuran species alike and have only found basic clues involving mouth structure variances between a couple of species. Species of the Northeast US would be most helpful as well.
Thanks. Frank

There is this website (http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/tadpole/) to get you down to family and for a few families to species. If you want a book you can try to use Tadpoles: The Biology of Anuran Larvae (http://tinyurl.com/yfdye6f). There is an upcoming book Biology and identification of larval amphibians of the United States and Canada that includes: anuran larvae, amphibian eggs, salamander larvae, and metamorphic anurans, but it’s not out yet.

David,
Thanks a lot for your help. I will into that website.
Frank

It is my understanding that tadpoles are included in that broad category of “aquatic species” whose habitat and related functions may constitute a significant nexus to traditional navigable waters.

If all tadpoles are aquatic species, then is it really necessary to identify the specie in order to determine a significant nexus? Is there a quick and simple way to determine a significant nexus?

Its not necessary to ID them to species level for a Jurisdictional Determination. By the way Johnny there is a lot more to wetland science than just Jurisdictional Determination.

Dido Tommy. My interest in amphibians and the successful identification of tadpoles is for research. I personally enjoy every opportunity to advance knowledge of wetland ecosystems and to not be hampered down with the NEXUS rulings and legality that has been shoved into the field by developers and beaurocrats.
Thanks for both of your responses none the less.

The USGS has a very good field identification guide for eggs and larval amphibians called “A Field Guide to Amphibian Larvae and Eggs of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa”. Unfortunately, as the title implies, it is limited to the upper Midwestern United States so I don't know how many species you'll have in common in the northeast, but it's a start if you haven't been able to find any other sources.

The entire book can be downloaded in .pdf format, here is a link: http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terr..._guide.html#download

Thanks Joe!

Frank said:

“I personally enjoy every opportunity to advance knowledge of wetland ecosystems and to not be hampered down with the NEXUS rulings and legality that has been shoved into the field by developers and beaurocrats.”

Dear Frank,
To be accurate, it was the federal courts that shoved significant nexus and other legal interpretations into the science of wetland ecosystems. Within the broad field of wetlands science, the legal aspects are equally as important as the ecological study. If any aspiring wetlands practitioner fails to study and understand the legal aspects, then they can not become fully qualified as a “Wetlands Scientist” in my opinion.

A certain level of legal study is required in order to understand, explain, and apply the intricate technical and legal terms and procedures that are applicable to tadpoles, wetlands, significant nexus, adjacency, traditional navigable waters, interstate commerce, jurisdiction, mitigation, and the Section 404 permit application process.

I hope that someday scientific research will discover a quick and simple way to determine significant nexus.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Johnny Stevens,

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny Stevens:

I hope that someday scientific research will discover a quick and simple way to determine significant nexus.

But you know Johnny that there will always be a developer / lawyer who will always challenge it, thus starting the cycle over again. Kind of like you do on every thread that gets posted.

This is a thread for help on identifying amphibian larvae in the field.

Please see threads entered previously for posts pertaining to NEXUS ruling, ACOE JD's, and other federal wetland law constitutes.

"But you know Johnny that there will always be a developer / lawyer who will always challenge it, thus starting the cycle over again. Kind of like you do on every thread that gets posted".

Nice one Brandon.

Pick on Johnny all you want, kids. He provides the lone spark of any interest in this forum. The tadpole threads are emminently appropriate. But they hardly catch fire like Johnny's posts.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Parisio:
This is a thread for help on identifying amphibian larvae in the field.

Please see threads entered previously for posts pertaining to NEXUS ruling, ACOE JD's, and other federal wetland law constitutes.

Last night I posted a rebuttal to some of Johnny's comments. This afternoon I deleted it after reflecting on the above post by Frank.

I couldn't agree with Frank's post more. I have noticed there is a tendency by several members of the forum to hijack threads in an attempt to always turn the discussion into a matter of jurisdictional and legal issues. And while these issues definitely have their place in wetland discussions, they are not always appropriate (and this topic is a perfect example of where they're not appropriate).

The fact is these individuals will never truly understand what wetland science is, because simply put, they are not wetland scientists. In addition, there are those of us (myself included) who will never understand the legalities of wetland delineations because it isn't an aspect of wetlands that we are involved in (either professionally or personally).

That being said, I would like to make the suggestion that when these off-topic posts come up, we simply ignore them. If those members wish to start their own message topic as a spin-off from something they read in a non-jurisdictional one, I would encourage it. I'm sure we'd all be more than happy to discuss these issues further when appropriate.

My apologies Frank for going off-topic in your thread.

Amen -- let's keep on topic, please. Where's our forum board administrator when you need them?

Frank Parisio said:

"...This is a thread for help on identifying amphibian larvae in the field..."

Dear Frank,

I understand that you wish to advance knowledge of wetland ecosystems and not be hampered by legalities. Identifying amphibian larvae in the field is not my area of expertise, but I do understand how this task could be related to wetlands.

I mentioned aquatic species and significant nexus because these topics are closely related to amphibians and wetland ecosystems, and I hope that my comments are "on-topic" and contribute to our discussion.

No problem Johnny. Any information you have on legal rulings and there impact and interaction with amphibian population is perfectly fitting on this thread I think.
I believe that recent trends in amphibian disease and declines in their overall population may lead to even greater legal standings for their protection from the Federal and State government sector.
Various sources I have read seem to point to a direction that the Chytrid fungus and a mutated retrovirus killing off frogs in Latin America may become a reality in many states in the future.
Thanks again for all of your posts.

In multiple states of New England, there are additional Corps and local rules regarding Vernal Pools. Part of Vernal Pool identification are the amphibian species living in the pools, both frogs and salamanders. So depending on what amphibian is living in your wetland, setbacks from the wetland might change from 0’ for no Vernal Pool to as much as 750’+ for Vernal Pools.

By the way Johhny, it doesn't matter to the corps if the Vernal Pool is a regulated wetland or not. It is a way around the nexus issue for the corps with regards to Vernal Pools.

Andrew said:

"...In multiple states of New England, there are additional Corps and local rules regarding Vernal Pools..."

This underscores the fact that wetlands law varies considerably in different locations throughout America. In areas where there are no state and local rules governing wetlands, small isolated wetlands such as vernal pools may be subject to federal law wherein "significant nexus" could be relevant.

Amphibians and other 'aquatic species' have been designated as "significant nexus" despite the fact that there is no official regulatory definition of this term. The identification of amphibian larvae on private property could be very risky for a land owner.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Johnny Stevens,