An Ecological Study of the Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, and Jefferson Salamander, A. jeffersonianum, in West Virginia

The movements of Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum, and Jefferson Salamanders, A. jeffersonianum, in and out of an ephemeral wetland in West Virginia were monitored for one breeding season using a drift fence lined with funnel traps. Significant movements of A. jeffersonianum coincided with rainfall and maximum daily air temperatures reaching a minimum of 5° C. Significant movements of A. maculatum coincided with rainfall and maximum daily air temperatures of at least 10° C. A. jeffersonianum preceded A. maculatum to the breeding site. Males of both species preceded females. The mark-recapture estimate of A. maculatum is 67 males and 25 females. The mark-recapture estimate of A. jeffersonianum is 11 males and 6 females. A. maculatum, considered collectively and by gender, showed an association between entry and exit point (P \u3c 0.05). A. jeffersonianum, considered collectively and by sex, did not show an association between entry and exit point (P \u3e 0.05)