Herpetofaunal foot study consistent with our project plan. We plan to locate Batrachoseps individuals in order to learn more about the population distribution of the endemic species. Our field surveys will focus on the island’s conformational drainages, split between the ocean-facing and interior-facing sides of the mountain formations. We will randomly stratify our sampling based on vegetation type, drainage basin, distance inland, and elevation. Natural cover such as logs, rocks, and leaf litter will be disturbed and replaced to locate salamanders. Additional sites will be selected along the shoreline in order to survey this well-documented habitat of B. pacificus, again using natural cover such as driftwood, logs, and leaf litter. We will document the individuals of these species that we find and compare environmental and morphological data between different populations.. Because of the manpower constraints of a two-person team, we can reasonably expect to survey 3-5 sites with 2-4 transect surveys per day, giving us a sample size of approximately 18-30 sites for the two trips that we plan to take. When either species of Batrachoseps native to the island is found in a search area, they will be swabbed, weighed, photographed for image measurement and morphology, and then returned to where they were found in their environment. No specimens will be kept. Salamander samples will be analyzed through qPCR with the USGS using the following procedure (USGS 2018). We hope to use this analysis to determine if chytridiomycosis has begun spreading to the island and to advocate for better protection protocols for all Santa Cruz Island amphibians.

Approved