One of many native amphibian species in decline
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it is listing the southern California distinct population segment of mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Seven small, isolated populations totaling fewer than 100 adult individuals are believed to still exist within portions of the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains.
Mountain yellow-legged frogs inhabit stream reaches in southern California north to high mountain lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Research indicates that mountain yellow-legged frogs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are distinct from those in southern California based upon geographical separation and genetic differences. The Service has determined that the southern California population of mountain yellow-legged frog constitutes a distinct vertebrate population segment (DPS) of the species.
Historically, the southern California population of mountain yellow-legged frog was known from about 166 documented localities ranging from Palomar Mountain in northern San Diego County to the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County. Today, this population segment has disappeared from a significant portion of its former range.
"It will take the combined efforts of Federal and State agencies and the public to chart a course for the recovery of this species," said Steve Thompson, Manager of the California Nevada Operations Office.
Although the exact causes of the California population
