The following table has been developed to display the range of species that are found in vernal pool habitats and to stress the species that are particularly associated with or restricted to vernal pools in California. The same basic definitions also apply to the animals listed in the table. However, the animal list is generally restricted to species that are known to breed in pools. The reason for the difference lies in the difficulty of compiling a list of all animals that are at some time of their life cycle associated with vernal pools.
Invertebrate information is based on relatively few published accounts.
It is likely that the animal list will be significantly refined with much recent interest in the vernal pool fauna. This list is preliminary and refinement is necessary, both from the standpoint of the species included and their geography. The ultimate goal will be to regionalize the flora and fauna of pools to such a point that we will be able to determine the biological representativeness of a given pool or complex within any California vernal pool region. This will greatly assist in our understanding of vernal pool conservation needs. Habitat listings are as the data we have access to and reference codes are all tied to the reference list following the table.