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Herps of Arkansas: Forum → Stories, Rumors, Accounts, and Trivia → QUIZ - Most sampled AR herp?
As I've worked on the AR herp atlas, various things along the way tend to jump out at me. Here's a bit of trivia you guys can get in on for fun...
What is the most sampled AR herp species according to museum records?
As a hint, it comes in at more than double the second place finisher...AND it may be somewhat of a surprise for some. I'll post the answer in 3-4 days. Good luck! 
My guess would be thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis --- your friendly neighborhood garter snake 
Well, this is somewhat tricky. By shear numbers, few studies with large samples may win or several studies with small numbers may win. Or it may be neither of these. So I'm going to give my guesses broken into groups.
Salamander: Spotted Salamander
Frog: Gray Treefrog
Toad: American Toad
Lizard: Racerunner
Turtle: Box Turtle
Non Venomous Snake: Racer
Venomous Snake: Timber Rattlesnake
I vote Toad
By shear numbers, few studies with large samples may win or several studies with small numbers may win.
You also have in that how likely the study animals were to have ended up as museum specimens, too. I'm guessing most of the time this doesn't happen.
As another hint, most museum collections represented in the atlas have many--if not hundreds--of these specimens. So, it looks like little herp collecting trips from various places outside--as well as inside--AR have come in to rape and pillage for this species over the years.
I'll respond to current guesses soon. The correct answer may or may not have been given yet. 
Hmm I am trying to remember what I saw the most of in the ASU museum, but all I can remember are jars and jars and jars full of every species 
my guesses are
Spotted Salamander
Spring Peeper
or
Red-bellied Snake
Hmm I am trying to remember what I saw the most of in the ASU museum, but all I can remember are jars and jars and jars full of every species
my guesses are
Spotted Salamander
Spring Peeper
or
Red-bellied Snake
I don't have a vote for most collected species, buy I do have a vote for which museum does the most collecting.
Tobin
Rough Earth Snakes are pretty easy to find and collect, assuming the collectors were too lazy to chase lizards, frogs or wade through swamps to catch 4' bad-tempered water snakes and didn't have younger guys to lift all the heavy stuff (private joke) So that's my vote- Rough Earth. My wife's vote: Midland/Northern water snake.
Copperhead
OK, here's what you guys have so far...
# collected...rank...species
7353...1st
3027...2nd
2238...3rd
2040...4th
1884...5th
1594...6th
1514...7th...Fowler's Toad (1st toad)
1443...8th...Dwarf American Toad
1398...9th
1346...10th
1249...11th
1148...12th
982...13th
979...14th...Spotted Salamander
964...15th
963...16th
963...17th
940...18th
917...19th
914...20th
---
705...26th...Spring Peeper
---
604...29th...Midland Watersnake
---
597...30th...Prairie Racerunner
590...31st...Copperhead (1st venomous snake)
---
543...36th...North American Racer
---
506...39th...Gray Treefrog *
---
418...47th...Three-toed Box Turtle
---
286...58th...Rough Earthsnake
---
265...60th...Eastern Gartersnake
---
124...78th...Red-bellied Snake
---
101...82nd...Timber Rattlesnake
* If you consider H. versicolor / chrysoscelis together, rank would be 29th.
So far, you guys have only 3 in the top 20. There are NO SNAKES OR TURTLES in the top 20, as the next hint. (Though the most collected snake species comes in at 21st.) The only firsts of any major groupings hit so far were 1st toad and 1st venomous snake.
Keep trying, if you like. I'll fill it in as people guess.
When I clicked on 'Lizards' the Five-lined Skink is believed to be the most abundant lizard in AR. My wife guessed broadbanded water snake originally (I told her to guess Midland instead) ...so 5-lined skink and broadbanded water snake is our second guess.....Uh.......Do TADPOLES count? I bet they could seine a lot of 'em.
Leopard frogs and bullfrogs are widespread in the state. I see leopards most of the year; herpetology student groups may find them easy to collect. Jo-Ann
Hmm
Cricket Frog
Western Slimy Salamander
It seems like those are two species that are always found when in their range.
Green treefrog?
Anoles would be surprising.
.....Uh.......Do TADPOLES count? I bet they could seine a lot of 'em.
Possibly by the jar full, but if anyone is going to tag and catalog large numbers of individual tadpoles, they either have way too much time on their hands or they are certifiably insane!
Hmm
Cricket Frog
Western Slimy SalamanderIt seems like those are two species that are always found when in their range.
Best guesses yet.
# collected...rank...species
7353...1st
3027...2nd...Blanchard's Cricket Frog (1st frog)
2238...3rd...Western Slimy Salamander
2040...4th
1884...5th...Southern Leopard Frog
1594...6th
1514...7th...Fowler's Toad (1st toad)
1443...8th...Dwarf American Toad
1398...9th
1346...10th...Common Five-lined Skink
1249...11th
1148...12th...Green Treefrog
982...13th
979...14th...Spotted Salamander
964...15th
963...16th...American Bullfrog
963...17th
940...18th
917...19th
914...20th
---
705...26th...Spring Peeper
---
604...29th...Midland Watersnake
---
597...30th...Prairie Racerunner
590...31st...Copperhead (1st venomous snake)
---
543...36th...North American Racer
---
506...39th...Gray Treefrog *
---
418...47th...Three-toed Box Turtle
---
322...55th...Broad-banded Watersnake
---
286...58th...Rough Earthsnake
---
265...60th...Eastern Gartersnake
---
227...67th...Northern Green Anole
---
124...78th...Red-bellied Snake
---
101...82nd...Timber Rattlesnake
Getting better. At least we're hitting in the top 20 now. Next hint for number one...it is NOT found statewide.
Ground skink. Debbie's
guess: Cajun Chorus Frog
Hopefully not the hellbender.
Have to be native? Med. geckos?
Rat snake?
Fence lizard or Ouachita dusky salamander?
Well number one has to be a salamander if I'm looking at the list right.
I think jjennier has a good guess with the dusky, but since that has already been guessed I'm going to say,
Oklahoma
Is Northern Cricket Frog separate on this list?
My guesses in order
Central Newt
Redback salamander
Many-ribbed salamander
Marbled salamander
Smallmouth salamander
Ringed salamander
E. Narrowmouth toad
Wood frog
Guess I should throw out "my" animal, lol.
Caddo Mtn Salamander should be somewhere around 50th.
The correct answer has been given...and it is...
drum roll, please...
Ouachita Dusky Salamander
The number one sampled lizard is Prairie (Fence) Lizard.
I'll plug in all of the top 20 and guessed species later tonight.
Anyone want to keep guessing the number one sampled snake? It comes in at 21st and has not been guessed yet.
Is Northern Cricket Frog separate on this list?
Well, sort of, but only of hypothetical occurrence along the Mississippi River. Can't remember the author/paper right now for the justification, but ALL AR cricket frogs have recently been attributed to Blanchard's.
Herps of Arkansas: Forum → Stories, Rumors, Accounts, and Trivia → QUIZ - Most sampled AR herp?
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