Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Species List

Accepted Name, State Rank, and State Status, as of January 2008

Common Name Latin Name Rank Status SGCN
Priority
Reptiles Reptilia (Class)
Turtles Testudines (Order)
Spiny Softshell Apalone spinifera S1 T High
Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina S5  
Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta S5  
Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata S1 E High
Wood Turtle Glyptemys insculpta* S3 SC High
Northern Map Turtle Graptemys geographica S3 SC
Eastern Musk Turtle Sternotherus odoratus S2 SC Medium
Lizards and Snakes Squamata (Order)
Lizards Lacertilia (Suborder)
Common Five-lined Skink Plestiodon fasciatus S1 E High
Snakes Serpentes (Suborder)
North American Racer Coluber constrictor S1 T High
Timber Rattlesnake Crotalus horridus S1 E High
Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus S3  
Eastern Ratsnake Pantherophis alleghaniensis** S2 T High
Milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum S5  
Northern Watersnake Nerodia sipedon S3   Medium
Smooth Greensnake Opheodrys vernalis S3   Medium
DeKay’s Brownsnake Storeria dekayi S4   Medium
Red-bellied Snake Storeria occipitomaculata S5  
Eastern Ribbonsnake Thamnophis sauritus S2 SC High
Common Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis S5  
Amphibians Amphibia (Class)
Salamanders Caudata (Order)
Jefferson Salamander Ambystoma jeffersonianum S2 SC High
Blue-spotted Salamander Ambystoma laterale S3 SC Medium
Spotted Salamander Ambystoma maculatum S5   Medium
Northern Dusky Salamander Desmognathus fuscus S5  
Northern Two-lined Salamander Eurycea bislineata S5  
Spring Salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus S4  
Four-toed Salamander Hemidactylium scutatum S2 SC Medium
Mudpuppy Necturus maculosus S2 SC High
Eastern Newt Notophthalmus viridescens S5  
Eastern Red-backed Salamander Plethodon cinereus S5  
Frogs (including Toads) Anura (Order)
American Toad Anaxyrus americanus*** S5
Fowler’s Toad Anaxyrus fowleri**** S1 SC High
Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor S5  
Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer S5  
Boreal Chorus Frog Pseudacris maculata+ S1 E High
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus++ S5  
Green Frog Lithobates clamitans++ S5  
Pickerel Frog Lithobates palustris++ S5  
Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens++ S4  
Mink Frog Lithobates septentrionalis++ S3  
Wood Frog Lithobates sylvaticus++ S5  

* G. insculpta used to be called Clemmys insculpta.
** Pantherophis alleghaniensis was Elaphe alleghaniensis until 2007. Before that, the scientific name was Elaphe obsoleta.
*** Anaxyrus americanus was Bufo americanus until 2007.
**** Anaxyrus fowleri was Bufo americanus until 2007.
+ Pseudacris triseriata (Western Chorus Frog) was renamed Psuedacris maculata (Boreal Chorus Frog) in 2007.
++ All the Vermont species listed in the Rana genus were reclassified into the Lithobates genus in 2007. Rana sylvatica became Lithobates sylvaticus.

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Hypothetical Species

Salamanders
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander Desmognathus ochrophaeus
One specimen of a juvenile from central Vermont may be of this species. Otherwise, the distribution of this species is believed to have an eastern boundary of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. No populations have been located.
Northern Slimy Salamander Plethodon glutinosus
Specimens labeled from Caledonia Country in Vermont at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have long been questioned. They are believed to be mislabeled. No populations have been located.
Marbled Salamander Ambystoma opacum
One historic photo of this species is labeled "Vermont" and an historic field record from Fair Haven is from a credible source. A population of this species may eventually be located in southern Vermont, most likely along the Connecticut River drainage. No populations have been located.
Turtles
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina
The occasional reports of single adult animals are assumed to be released pets. Reports near the southern Connecticut River Valley could possibly be native turtles. No populations are known.
Blanding's Turtle Emydoidea blandingii
Widely disjunct populations of this species suggest that populations could potentially exist in Vermont. One well-documented record could be a released pet. No populations have been located.

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Explanation of Legal Status & Information Ranks

State Status

As per the Vermont Endangered Species Law

E:
Endangered—in immediate danger of becoming extirpated in the states
T:
Threatened—high possibility of becoming endangered in the near future

Information Categories

Not established by law

PE:
Proposed for endangered.
PT:
Proposed for threatened.
SC:
Special Concern: rare; status should be watched.
SGCN:
Species designated as having the Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Vermont's Wildlife Action Plan. Listed as either high or medium priority conservation for funding through the State Wildlife Grants Program. See also Vermont's Wildlife Action Plan News and Information.

State Ranks of Plants, Animals, and Natural Communities

State ranks are assigned by the Nongame & Natural Heritage Program based on the best available information. They are not established by law. Ranks are reviewed annually.

S1:
At very high risk due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations or occurrences in the state), very steep declines, or other factors.
S2:
At high risk due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors.
S3:
At moderate risk due to restricted range, relatively few populations, or occurrences (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors.
S4:
Locally common or widely scattered to uncommon: not rare.
S5:
Common: widespread and abundant.
SA:
Accidental in the state.
SE:
An exotic established in the state.
SH:
Known from historical records only.
SR:
Reported from the state, but without persuasive documentation.
SRF:
Reported in error, but this error persisted in the literature.
SP:
Possible in the state but no reported or documented records.
SSYN:
No longer considered a taxon in the state.
SZ:
Not of practical conservation concern because there are no definable occurrences.
SX:
Extirpated from the state.
SU:
Status uncertain.
?:
Denotes provisional rank.

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