THE SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST 48(3):347–355 SEPTEMBER 2003 AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF THE WHETSTONE MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA DALE S. TURNER,* PETER A. HOLM,ELIZABETH B. WIRT, AND CECIL R. SCHWALBE School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 (DST) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 (PAH) 56th Range Management Office, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona 85309 (EBW) USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Sonoran Desert Field Station, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 (CRS) Present address of DST: The Nature Conservancy of Arizona, 1510 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, Arizona 85719 Present address of EBW: 1620 Hoover St. Ajo, AZ 85321 * Correspondent: dturner@tnc.org ABSTRACT We surveyed the amphibians and reptiles of the Whetstone Mountains in southeast- ern Arizona using a combination of intensive small-area plots, extensive walking searches, trap arrays, road-driving, spot checks, and review of previous records. We found 43 species within the National Forest boundary and within 1 mile of the boundary. Composition of the herpetofauna is typically Madrean and included 5 anuran, 2 turtle, 21 lizard, and 14 snake species. Previous records from the study area documented only 15 species. Quantitative results of intensive and extensive searches provide additional baseline data that could be used for future monitoring efforts. RESUMEN Se realizo ´ un muestreo de los anfibios y reptiles de las Montan ˜as Whetstone en el sudeste de Arizona utilizando una combinacio ´n de revisio ´ n intensiva de parcelas pequen ˜as, bu ´s- quedas extensivas al caminar, matrices de trampas, bu ´ squeda desde un vehı ´culo, muestras hechas al azar, y revisio ´ n de registros anteriores. Se encontraron 43 especies dentro de los lı ´mites del Bosque Nacional y en 1 milla fuera del lı ´mite. La composicio ´ n de la herpetofauna es Madrense tı ´pica e incluyo ´ 5 especies de anuros, 2 de tortugas, 21 de lagartijas, y 14 de culebras. Registros anteriores del a ´rea de estudio documentaron solamente 15 especies. Los resultados cuantitativos de muestreos intensos y extensos proporcionan datos adicionales de referencia que pueden ser u ´ tiles en monitoreos en el futuro. The Whetstone Mountains of southeastern Arizona lie in the heart of the sky island ar- chipelago of southwestern North America, which is known for its rich biodiversity. Moun- tain ranges in the region contain unique biotic assemblages, with distributional edges, gaps, and outliers that lead to a variety of fascinating biogeographic questions (McLaughlin, 1995; Warshall, 1995). Despite that, little was known about the amphibians and reptiles of the Whet- stone Mountains, because few biologists had visited the range and little collecting had been done there. The goals of this project were to provide qualitative and quantitative information about the herpetofauna of the Whetstone Mountains. In addition to determining species composi- tion across the mountain range, we tried to provide a quantitative baseline for monitoring future changes in species distribution and abundance. We anticipate that rapid human population growth around this range, coupled with the recent opening of Kartchner Caverns State Park, will dramatically increase recrea- tional use of the Whetstone Mountains. In- creased use will affect habitat quality for all wildlife and likely increase collecting pressure on some reptile species. METHODS Study Area The Whetstone Mountains lie approximately 11 km southwest of Benson, Ari- zona (Fig. 1). They reach their high point of 2,350 m on Apache Peak, rising from approximately 1,460 m at their edges. Watersheds on the eastern side drain into the San Pedro River, while those on the western side feed Cienega Creek and flow into the Tucson basin.