Date of Award
2009
Degree Name
Biological Sciences
College
College of Science
Type of Degree
M.S.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Thomas K. Pauley
Second Advisor
Dan Evans
Third Advisor
Thomas Jones
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to collect data on the natural history of the Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea l. longicauda) in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. The objectives of this research included characterization of epigean and hypogean habitat for this species, recording distances moved by individuals in populations associated with caves, and collection of data on courtship, oviposition, and larval development. The primary study site was Carter Caves State Park in Olive Hill, Kentucky. This area was visited from October 2007 to December 2008. Salamanders were photographed for identification based on unique pattern aberrancies and distances were measured between the encounter points when individuals were recaptured. Some individuals were observed to move considerable distances in relatively short periods of time while others appeared to remain in small areas for much of the year, but the cause of these different movement patterns is unknown. Eggs were not located, but larvae in a state of delayed development were located in a Greenbrier County, West Virginia cave. Data on sympatric amphibian species in caves are also discussed.
Subject(s)
Salamanders - Ecology - West Virginia.
Salamanders - Ecology - Kentucky.
Recommended Citation
Saunders, Kevin Wayne, "The Natural History of Cave-Associated Populations of Eurycea l. longicauda with Notes on Sympatric Amphibian Species" (2009). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 298.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/298
