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Howard County, Missouri

Maps

Landmark Map

Landmark locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Landmark locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Interstate HighwayRailroadUS Army Corps of Engineers
US HighwayDepartment of ConservationUS Fish and Wildlife Service
State HighwayDepartment of Natural ResourcesNational Park Service
County HighwayUS Forest ServiceUS Department of Defense

Locator Map

Locator map for Howard County, Missouri
Locator map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Natural Divisions Locality Map

Natural divisions and sections locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Natural Divisions locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Ecological Drainage Unit Locality Map

Ecological drainage unit locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Ecological Drainage Units locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Major Watersheds Locality Map

Major watersheds locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Major Watersheds locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Major Rivers Locality Map

Major rivers locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Major Rivers locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level I Ecoregion Locality Map

Level I Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Level I Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level II Ecoregion Locality Map

Level II Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Level II Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level III Ecoregion Locality Map

Level III Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Level III Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level IV Ecoregion Locality Map

Level IV Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Level IV Ecoregion locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Presettlement Prairie Locality Map

Presettlement prairie locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Presettlement Prairie locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

Historical Vegetation Map

Historical vegetation map for Howard County, Missouri
Historical Vegetation map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

WaterPrairieBarrens / Scrub
ForestWoodlandOpen Woodland

Geology Locality Map

Geology locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Geology locality map for Howard County, Missouri
Map created 15 April 2026.

AlluviumSandstoneDolomiteLimestone
ClaySandstone / LimestoneDolomite / LimestoneLimestone / Sandstone
IgneousSandstone / DolomiteDolomite / ShaleLimestone / Shale
Limestone / Sandstone / Shale

Species List

Salamanders (Caudata)

Frogs (Anura)

Lizards (Squamata, "Lizards")

Snakes (Squamata, "Snakes")

Turtles (Testudines)

Collection Summary

Howard County has a total of 285 valid, non-duplicated collections representing 44 species and 100 localities. There are a total of 25 collectors and 72 collection dates for the county. This results in a total of 79 expeditions for the county, a measure of unique date / collector(s) combinations. The county's earliest collection year is 1967 and its most recent collection year is 2025. The earliest and latest collection dates (independent of earliest and most recent collection years) are March 8 and November 4, respectively. If you have a new record to report for Howard County, read the New Records section of the FAQ.

Collection Summary by Species

Collection summary for Howard County by species. Some values are unavailable since some records are represented solely by historical literature reports, which sometimes lack complete collecting data. Click on a species or common name to view more information about that species. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
Species Common Name Localities Collections Collectors Dates Expeditions Earliest Year Latest Year
Acris blanchardi Blanchard's Cricket Frog 3 3 3 2 2 1967 1999
Ambystoma maculatum Spotted Salamander 1 3 1 2 2 2002 2002
Ambystoma texanum Small-mouthed Salamander 1 2 3 1 1 1979 1979
Anaxyrus americanus American Toad 2 3 4 2 2 2001 2009
Anaxyrus cognatus Great Plains Toad 6 28 5 6 6 1969 2009
Anaxyrus fowleri Fowler's Toad 2 5 3 2 2 1997 1998
Anaxyrus woodhousii Rocky Mountain Toad 5 11 4 3 3 1998 2009
Apalone mutica Midland Smooth Softshell 2 2 1 1 1
Apalone spinifera Northern Spiny Softshell 2 2 1 2 2 2002 2005
Carphophis vermis Western Wormsnake 1 1 1 1 1
Chelydra serpentina North American Snapping Turtle 7 7 3 4 4 1999 2008
Chrysemys picta Western Painted Turtle 8 9 4 5 5 1997 2021
Coluber constrictor North American Racer 2 2 2 2 2 2000 2000
Crotalus horridus Timber Rattlesnake 1 1 1 1 1
Diadophis punctatus Ring-necked Snake 1 1 1 1 1 2008 2008
Dryophytes versicolor Gray Treefrog 2 10 9 2 8 1967 1999
Graptemys pseudogeographica False Map Turtle 5 6 3 2 2 1999 1999
Heterodon platirhinos Eastern Hog-nosed Snake 6 7 3 5 5 1997 2025
Lampropeltis calligaster Prairie Kingsnake 6 6 2 5 5 2002 2025
Lampropeltis holbrooki Speckled Kingsnake 1 1 1 1 1
Lampropeltis triangulum Eastern Milksnake 1 2 1 1 1
Lithobates areolatus Northern Crawfish Frog 1 1 1 1 1 1979 1979
Lithobates blairi Plains Leopard Frog 4 5 5 3 3 1999 2009
Lithobates catesbeianus North American Bullfrog 4 7 6 4 7 1967 2002
Lithobates clamitans North American Green Frog 2 3 1 2 2 2002 2011
Lithobates sphenocephalus Coastal Plains Leopard Frog 1 1 1 1 1 1967 1967
Nerodia sipedon Common Watersnake 5 5 3 3 3 1999 1999
Notophthalmus viridescens Central Newt 1 2 1 1 1 2002 2002
Opheodrys aestivus Northern Rough Greensnake 8 8 3 7 7 1999 2018
Pantherophis obsoletus Western Ratsnake 5 5 2 5 5 1999 2015
Plestiodon fasciatus Common Five-lined Skink 4 6 2 4 4 2000 2005
Plestiodon laticeps Broad-headed Skink 3 3 4 3 3 2023 2025
Pseudacris crucifer Spring Peeper 2 3 3 2 2 2002 2022
Pseudacris maculata Boreal Chorus Frog 2 4 4 2 2 1999 2022
Sceloporus consobrinus Prairie Lizard 1 1 1 1 1
Spea bombifrons Plains Spadefoot 7 86 5 7 8 1969 2001
Storeria dekayi DeKay's Brownsnake 4 4 2 4 4 1998 2003
Storeria occipitomaculata Red-bellied Snake 2 2 1 2 2 2001 2006
Terrapene ornata Ornate Box Turtle 3 3 1 3 3 2003 2023
Terrapene triunguis Three-toed Box Turtle 3 3 1 2 2 1999 1999
Thamnophis proximus Orange-striped Ribbonsnake 3 3 2 3 3 2000 2002
Thamnophis sirtalis Common Gartersnake 6 6 3 6 6 1968 2025
Trachemys scripta Red-eared Slider 7 8 3 4 4 1999 2015
Virginia valeriae Western Smooth Earthsnake 4 4 1 4 4 2003 2022

Potential Species Records

Potential species for Howard County. Species are listed in descending order of their likelihood of occurrence within the county. Click on a species or common name to view more information about that species. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
Likelihood Species Common Name Rationale Ecoregion / Watershed
2 Ambystoma opacum Marbled Salamander Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles Claypan Prairie
2 Lithobates palustris Pickerel Frog Same Level IV ecoregion, within 5 miles River Hills
4 Agkistrodon contortrix Eastern Copperhead Same Level IV ecoregion, within 10 miles River Hills
6 Ambystoma tigrinum Eastern Tiger Salamander Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
6 Aspidoscelis sexlineatus Prairie Racerunner Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Dryophytes chrysoscelis Cope's Gray Treefrog Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Eurycea longicauda Long-tailed Salamander Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Gastrophryne olivacea Western Narrow-mouthed Toad Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Lithobates sylvaticus Wood Frog Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
6 Masticophis flagellum Eastern Coachwhip Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Masticophis flagellum Eastern Coachwhip Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Claypan Prairie
6 Nerodia rhombifer Northern Diamond-backed Watersnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Missouri Alluvial Plain
6 Pantherophis emoryi Great Plains Ratsnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Claypan Prairie
6 Pantherophis emoryi Great Plains Ratsnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Pituophis catenifer Bullsnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles Claypan Prairie
6 Plestiodon anthracinus Southern Coal Skink Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Plethodon albagula Western Slimy Salamander Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
6 Scincella lateralis Little Brown Skink Same Level IV ecoregion, within 20 miles River Hills
8 Nerodia erythrogaster Yellow-bellied Watersnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
8 Nerodia erythrogaster Yellow-bellied Watersnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Missouri Alluvial Plain
8 Ophisaurus attenuatus Western Slender Glass Lizard Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
8 Sistrurus tergeminus Prairie Massasauga Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Claypan Prairie
8 Sistrurus tergeminus Prairie Massasauga Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Loess Flats and Till Plains
8 Sistrurus tergeminus Prairie Massasauga Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Missouri Alluvial Plain
8 Thamnophis radix Plains Gartersnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles Missouri Alluvial Plain
8 Virginia striatula Rough Earthsnake Same Level IV ecoregion, within 30 miles River Hills
9 Tropidoclonion lineatum Lined Snake Same Level III ecoregion, within 30 miles Western Corn Belt Plains
10 Gastrophryne carolinensis Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county River Hills
10 Graptemys geographica Northern Map Turtle Adjacent county, same watershed Lower Missouri-Moreau
10 Opheodrys vernalis Smooth Greensnake Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county Rolling Loess Prairies
10 Opheodrys vernalis Smooth Greensnake Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county River Hills
10 Opheodrys vernalis Smooth Greensnake Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county Missouri Alluvial Plain
10 Opheodrys vernalis Smooth Greensnake Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county Loess Flats and Till Plains
10 Opheodrys vernalis Smooth Greensnake Same Level IV ecoregion, adjacent county Claypan Prairie
10 Regina grahamii Graham's Crawfish Snake Adjacent county, same watershed Little Chariton

Checklist

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