Species List
Salamanders (Caudata)
- Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw, 1802) - Spotted Salamander
- Ambystoma texanum (Matthes, 1855) - Small-mouthed Salamander
- Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820) - Central Newt
- Necturus maculosus (Rafinesque, 1818) - Mudpuppy
- Eurycea longicauda (Green, 1818) - Long-tailed Salamander
- Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822 - Cave Salamander
- Hemidactylium scutatum (Temminck and Schlegel in Von Siebold, 1838) - Four-toed Salamander
- Plethodon albagula Grobman, 1944 - Western Slimy Salamander
Frogs (Anura)
- Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836) - American Toad
- Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882) - Fowler's Toad
- Acris blanchardi Harper, 1947 - Blanchard's Cricket Frog
- Pseudacris crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1838) - Spring Peeper
- Pseudacris maculata (Agassiz, 1850) - Boreal Chorus Frog
- Lithobates areolatus (Baird and Girard, 1852) - Northern Crawfish Frog
- Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802) - American Bullfrog
- Lithobates clamitans (Latreille, 1801) - Green Frog
- Lithobates palustris (LeConte, 1825) - Pickerel Frog
- Lithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886) - Southern Leopard Frog
- Gastrophryne carolinensis (Holbrook, 1835) - Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
Lizards (Lacertilia)
- Sceloporus consobrinus Baird and Girard, 1853 - Prairie Lizard
- Aspidoscelis sexlineata (Linnaeus, 1766) - Six-lined Racerunner
- Plestiodon anthracinus (Baird, 1850) - Southern Coal Skink
- Plestiodon fasciatus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Common Five-lined Skink
- Plestiodon laticeps (Schneider, 1801) - Broad-headed Skink
- Scincella lateralis (Say in James, 1823) - Little Brown Skink
- Ophisaurus attenuatus Cope, 1880 - Western Slender Glass Lizard
Snakes (Serpentes)
- Carphophis vermis (Kennicott, 1859) - Western Wormsnake
- Coluber constrictor Linnaeus, 1758 - North American Racer
- Coluber flagellum Shaw, 1802 - Eastern Coachwhip
- Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) - Ring-necked Snake
- Haldea striatula (Linnaeus, 1766) - Rough Earthsnake
- Heterodon platirhinos Latreille, 1801 - Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
- Lampropeltis calligaster (Harlan, 1827) - Prairie Kingsnake
- Lampropeltis holbrooki Stejneger, 1903 - Speckled Kingsnake
- Lampropeltis triangulum (Lacépède, 1789) - Eastern Milksnake
- Nerodia rhombifer (Hallowell, 1852) - Diamond-backed Watersnake
- Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758) - Common Watersnake
- Opheodrys aestivus (Linnaeus, 1766) - Northern Rough Greensnake
- Pantherophis obsoletus (Say, 1823) - Western Ratsnake
- Storeria dekayi (Holbrook, 1836) - DeKay's Brownsnake
- Storeria occipitomaculata (Storer, 1839) - Northern Red-bellied Snake
- Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard, 1853 - Flat-headed Snake
- Thamnophis proximus (Say, 1823) - Orange-striped Ribbonsnake
- Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) - Common Gartersnake
- Virginia valeriae Baird and Girard, 1853 - Western Smooth Earthsnake
- Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766) - Copperhead
- Crotalus horridus Linnaeus, 1758 - Timber Rattlesnake
Turtles (Testudines)
- Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758) - Snapping Turtle
- Sternotherus odoratus (Latreille in Sonnini and Latreille, 1801) - Eastern Musk Turtle
- Graptemys geographica (LeSueur, 1817) - Northern Map Turtle
- Terrapene carolina (Linnaeus, 1758) - Three-toed Box Turtle
- Terrapene ornata (Agassiz, 1857) - Ornate Box Turtle
- Trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792) - Red-eared Slider
- Apalone mutica (LeSueur, 1827) - Midland Smooth Softshell
Collection Summary
Benton County has a total of 274 valid, non-duplicated collections representing 54 species and 87 localities. There are a total of 48 collectors and 77 collection dates for the county. This results in a total of 86 expeditions for the county, a measure of unique date / collector(s) combinations. The county's earliest collection year is 1915 and its most recent collection year is 2019. The earliest and latest collection dates (independent of earliest and most recent collection years) are March 11 and December 23, respectively. If you have a new record to report for Benton County, read the New Records section of the FAQ.
Collection Summary by Species
Potential Species Records
Likelihood | Species | Common Name | Rationale | Ecoregion / Watershed | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 2 | Agkistrodon piscivorus | Western Cottonmouth | Same watershed, within 5 miles | Harry S. Truman Reservoir |
![]() | 2 | Apalone spinifera | Eastern Spiny Softshell | Same watershed, within 5 miles | Lamine |
![]() | 2 | Apalone spinifera | Eastern Spiny Softshell | Same watershed, within 5 miles | Niangua |
![]() | 2 | Chrysemys picta | Western Painted Turtle | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Prairie Ozark Border |
![]() | 2 | Hyla versicolor | Gray Treefrog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Prairie Ozark Border |
![]() | 2 | Lithobates blairi | Plains Leopard Frog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Cherokee Plains |
![]() | 2 | Lithobates blairi | Plains Leopard Frog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Wooded Osage Plains |
![]() | 2 | Lithobates blairi | Plains Leopard Frog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 2 | Pantherophis emoryi | Great Plains Ratsnake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Central Plateau |
![]() | 2 | Sonora semiannulata | Variable Groundsnake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 2 | Tropidoclonion lineatum | Lined Snake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles | Wooded Osage Plains |
![]() | 4 | Ambystoma opacum | Marbled Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 4 | Ambystoma opacum | Marbled Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Cherokee Plains |
![]() | 4 | Crotaphytus collaris | Eastern Collared Lizard | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 4 | Eurycea spelaea | Grotto Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 4 | Gastrophryne olivacea | Western Narrow-mouthed Toad | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 4 | Nerodia erythrogaster | Plain-bellied Watersnake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 4 | Plethodon serratus | Southern Red-backed Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles | Cherokee Plains |
![]() | 4 | Regina grahamii | Graham's Crawfish Snake | Same watershed, within 10 miles | Lamine |
![]() | 6 | Ambystoma annulatum | Ringed Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 6 | Ambystoma tigrinum | Eastern Tiger Salamander | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 6 | Cryptobranchus alleganiensis | Hellbender | Same watershed, within 20 miles | Niangua |
![]() | 6 | Graptemys pseudogeographica | False Map Turtle | Same watershed, within 20 miles | Lake of the Ozarks |
![]() | 6 | Hyla chrysoscelis | Cope's Gray Treefrog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles | Springfield Plateau |
![]() | 6 | Hyla cinerea | Green Treefrog | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 6 | Pituophis catenifer | Bullsnake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles | Cherokee Plains |
![]() | 8 | Cemophora coccinea | Northern Scarletsnake | Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles | Osage/Gasconade Hills |
![]() | 8 | Graptemys ouachitensis | Ouachita Map Turtle | Same watershed, within 30 miles | Harry S. Truman Reservoir |
![]() | 8 | Pseudemys concinna | River Cooter | Same watershed, within 30 miles | Niangua |
![]() | 8 | Pseudemys concinna | River Cooter | Same watershed, within 30 miles | Lake of the Ozarks |
Checklist
All MOHAP publications are released in portable document format (PDF), an ISO standard. You must download and install a reader (click icon below) to view these documents. A state checklist, including all counties, is available on the publications page.
Daniel, R.E., B.S. Edmond, and J.T. Briggler. 2020. Checklist of Benton County Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. <http://atlas.moherp.org/county/Benton>
Daniel, R.E., B.S. Edmond, and J.T. Briggler. 2020. Checklist of Benton County Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. <http://atlas.moherp.org/county/Benton> (with common names)