were placed within 2 m of each other at each station. We placed each trap at a station to 

 maximize success (runway, burrow, etc.). Stations were placed 5-30 m apart. 



Trapping effort ranged from 227 to 230 trap-nights over 2 nights. A trap-night constitutes one 

 trap set for one 24-hour period (traps sprung and empty, or completely missing, are not counted). 

 All small mammals trapped were donated to the Universit>' of Montana Museum and will be 

 prepared as study skins and/or skulls. 



RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 



Amphibians and Reptiles 



A total of 18 sites were surveyed for amphibians and reptiles of which only 5 had one or 

 more amphibian or reptile species present (Figure 1, Appendices 3 and 4). Many of these 

 surveys, although represented by a single dot on Figure 1, actually covered large areas (e.g. the 

 entire Blackleaf Fen) and 1000-2000 m of streams. Although no species were found at 13 sites, 

 their absence may have been due to the time of day. weather conditions, sampling too late in the 

 season for some species, or other factors at the time of sampling. 



In addition to the 1 8 sites surveyed for amphibians and reptiles, there were a number of 

 sightings (i.e. road kills, chance observations) for which data are available and the sightings 

 considered reliable. Species location data from surveys, chance encounters, and historic records 

 (from the literature and museum specimens) are listed in Appendix 5. Distribution maps were 

 created using survey and sighting data and historical records; inset statewide maps for each 

 species are based on sight and specimen records, both recent and historic. 



A 1995 report (Reichel 1995a) concentrated on reptiles and amphibians on the L&CNF; it 

 was not specific to the Rocky Mountain Front area, however, and no surveys were done within 

 the study area. There is also a publication on the Tiber Reservoir area to the northeast 

 (Mosimann and Rabb 1952). No museum specimens, publications, previous surveys or previous 

 incidental observations are known from the study area. Three amphibian and two reptile species 

 were actually observed during the study, while an additional 5 amphibians and 8 reptiles may 

 eventually be found to occur there. The study area is very arid, with many of the streams 

 disappearing underground for long distances by mid-summer and many ponds drying up. Even 

 most of the streams with water were characterized by very low flows in a wide gravel bed, and 

 lacked stream side vegetation, making them unsuitable for most amphibians. The only snakes 

 found were garter snakes, possibly due to the short growing season. Reptile reproduction is 

 closely tied to environmental conditions, and in the cold climate of the Rocky Mountain Front, it 

 is possible that many species just cannot reproduce successftiUy. The following results are 

 presented as a species summary for the study area. 



In the following species accounts, the section on "Similar Species" covers species only which 

 are known or suspected to occur in Montana; outside Montana other confusing species may occur 

 which are not covered in this report. Descriptions and photos of adults of all Montana 

 amphibians and reptiles may be found in Reichel and Flath (1995). Potential surveying 

 techniques, and their effectiveness, are summarized in Appendix 2 and are described in more 

 detail for each species in Reichel (1995a). 



