A Contribution to the Life History and Ecology of the Plethodontid Salamander Aneides aeneus (Cope and Packard)

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Abstract
The geographic distribution of the species as revealed by museum specimens, literature, correspondence and collections by the author is reviewed, with comments on the biogeography of the genus. Data were obtained on the physical habitat as well as the associated fauna and flora at 6 localities in the southern Blue Ridge Mts. The life history of the salamander was studied throughout a complete annual cycle and part of a 2d breeding season. 52 individuals were marked by toe-clipping and movements were observed. The population dynamics of 2 marked colonies are compared. Preliminary expts. comparing Aneides aeneus with its closest probable competitor, Plethodon jordani melaventris. with respect to vital limits of water loss indicate that A. aeneus is able to escape direct competition with P. j. melaventris and other salamanders by its ability to exist in a drier habitat. Its continued survival over a large range may be the result of occupancy of an ecologically peripheral niche.