| The coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei) is in the family Leiopelmatidae, which is the most basal lineage of all extant anurans. The tailed frog is also one of just three anurans known to have internal fertilization. Research on the life history of this unique amphibian is limited, oviposition sites in the field are rarely found, and larval development is highly variable (Metter 1967). Metter (1967) identified differences in the larval life cycles between populations. Inland populations and three Cascade populations had a three-year larval period, whereas populations along the coastal slopes of the Cascades had a two-year larval period. Since then, Brown (1999) identified populations with a four-year larval period in northwestern Washington, and Wallace and Diller (1998) found a population with a one-year life cycle in the coastal redwood region of California. These observations illustrate a wide range in variation of larval period across populations. The objective of this research was to describe aspects of life history of a rare population of coastal tailed frogs in the Trinity Alps Wilderness in California. This paper describes preliminary data on larval predation, larval age at metamorphosis, and both pre-and post-metamorphic functional morphology of this rare population. |