David S. Pilliod M. J. Adams Evelyn L. Bull Paul Stephen Corn Lowell V. Diller Marc P. Hayes Blake R. Hossack Garth R. Hodgson Erin J. Hyde Kirk Lohman Bradford R. Norman Lisa M. Ollivier Christopher A. Pearl Charles R. Peterson Nancy E. Karraker 2006 <p>Tailed frogs (<i>Ascaphus</i> spp.) oviposit in cryptic locations in streams of the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains. This aspect of their life history has restricted our understanding of their reproductive ecology. The recent split of <i>A. montanus</i> in the Rocky Mountains from <i>A. truei</i> was based on molecular differentiation, and comparisons of their ecology are limited. Our objectives were to provide a range-wide summary of information on <i>Ascaphus</i> oviposition, compare some aspects of the reproductive ecology of the 2 species, and examine geographic variation in their reproductive traits. Reproductive ecology of the 2 species differed. <i>Ascaphus truei</i> had smaller clutches, oviposited later in the summer, and had a longer duration of oviposition than <i>A. montanus</i>. A greater number of communal oviposition sites were attributed to <i>A. montanus</i>. These ecological differences support the recent taxonomic revision of <i>Ascaphus</i> and suggest that different management strategies may be necessary for each species where conservation is a priority.</p> application/pdf 10.1898/1051-1733(2006)87[87:TVIOBT]2.0.CO;2 en Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology Taxonomic and geographic variation in oviposition by tailed frogs (<i>Ascaphus spp</i>) article