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Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi
The Ozark hellbender is a strictly aquatic amphibian found in Ozark streams of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. This subspecies of hellbender is listed as endangered because a rapid decline in numbers and range have left only small, isolated populations. Also, the hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), including both the Ozark hellbender and the eastern hellbender, have been included in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect both subspecies from declines due to international trade.
Natural History Information
Ozark Hellbender: Out from Under a Rock (PDF): pages 22 to 24 from the Endangered Species Technical Bulletin, Spring 2008.
Ozark Hellbender Recovery Plan Outline (June 2012) (13-page PDF )
Ozark Hellbender Action Plan (7-page PDF )
News Release (Oct. 5, 2011): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists the Ozark Hellbender as Endangered and Moves to Include Hellbenders in Appendix III of CITES: Hellbenders are among the world’s largest salamanders
Federal Register Final Rule (Oct. 6, 2011): Endangered Status for the Ozark Hellbender Salamander (94-pa
Federal Register Final Rule (Oct. 6, 2011): Inclusion of the Hellbender, Including the Eastern Hellbender and the Ozark Hellbender, in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (30-page PDF)
Last updated: July 16, 2014