Diet of the southern ravine salamander Plethodon richmondi

Stacy J. Gadd, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The diets of many small North American Plethodon species are poorly studied despite their important roles in forest ecosystems. Using a non-lethal gastric lavage method, we examined the spring-season diet of 31 southern ravine salamanders (Plethodon richmondi) from a second-growth forest in south-eastern Kentucky (USA). We recovered and identified a total of 452 prey items from 14 different prey groups. The three most important prey groups were Formicidae (ants), Acari (mites and ticks), and Collembola (springtails). Together, these groups accounted for more than 80 % of all prey items. Examining the diets of terrestrial salamanders may help us better understand their roles in the regulation of invertebrate communities and the transfer of accessible nutrients back to the soil.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11-15
Number of pages5
JournalHerpetological Bulletin
Issue number158
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 British Herpetological Society. All rights reserved.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Animal Science and Zoology

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