Summer microhabitat use of the Greater Siren (Siren lacertina) and Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means) in an isolated wetland

Christopher M. Schalk^1,2, Thomas M. Luhring^1,3, Brian A. Crawford¹

¹Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA
²Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, 210 Nagle Hall, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-2258, USA
³Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, 105 Tucker Hall, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA

Abstract: Although the habitats of the Greater Siren (Siren lacertina) and Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means) have been described on a coarse scale; the microhabitat(s) of these species has not been examined. We trapped from 12 June 2008 to 1 July 2008 in an isolated wetland on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina where these two salamander species occur in sympatry. Traps were set in three different microhabitats; the water’s surface and benthic zone in deep water, and in a littoral zone. Siren lacertina captures were highest in the benthic zone, while A. means were captured more in the littoral zone. This differentiation in microhabitat usage may reflect a difference in prey availability or habitat structure; alternatively, it may be a response to interspecific interactions between species.