leopard frogs (Rana) and cricket frogs 

 ( Acris ) are dominant anurans; the upland 

 chorus frog ( Pseudacris niqrita ) and grey 

 tree frog ( Hyla versicolor ) are common 

 locally. The bird-voiced tree frog ( Hyla 

 avivoca ) occurs here and in other zones, 

 especially at breeding time. 



Reptiles in Zone IV are represented 

 by the abundant box turtle ( Terrepene 

 Carolina ) ; the giant gulf coast form (T. 

 c. major ) also occurs on floodplains. 

 There are few snakes in Zone IV other than 

 the rat snake ( Elaphae obsoleta ) and sub- 

 species. Boyd (1976) encountered copper- 

 heads and rattlesnakes in Zone IV study 

 areas, but these snakes (more characteris- 

 tic of Zone V) may have come from a nearby 

 hillside. Tinkle (1959) reported the black 

 racer ( Coluber constrictor ), kingsnake 

 ( Lampropeltis getulus ), and ribbon snake 

 ( Thamnophis sauritus ) on a narrow levee 

 ridge, assumed to be Zone IV from the site 

 description (or in succession to Zone V), 

 although these snakes are not frequently 

 encountered in Zone IV. 



Many bird species are found in Zone 



IV. In a study in the Congaree Swamp, 

 numbers of species were similar among 

 floodplain Zones II, IV and V; however, 

 population densities were almost always 

 highest in Zone IV (Hamel 1979i Hamel and 

 Brunswig 1980). Characteristic birds in 

 the Congaree Swamp are the barred owl, 

 downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, and 

 cardinal (Hamel 1979). The wild turkey is 

 known to nest and feed in Zone IV (Kennedy 

 1977). In fact, bottomland hardwoods sup- 

 port the highest population densities (1 

 per 10 acres vs 1 per 25 acres of upland) 

 of eastern wild turkey (Florida Game and 

 Fresh Water Fish Commission 1978). 



Dominant Zone IV floodplain mammals 

 are the deer mouse in the Piedmont, the 

 cotton mouse in the Coastal Plain, and the 

 golden mouse in creek swamps and areas of 

 dense shrub and vine growth. Short-tailed 

 and southeastern shrews are abundant in 

 this zone but may retreat to higher zones 

 during innundation. Most of the larger 

 mammals in Zone IV are also common to Zone 



V. The woodrat (Neotoma floridana ), which 

 nests in the ecotone adjacent to the up- 

 lands, forages in Zones IV and V. It nests 

 in Zone IV along spring-fed rivers. 



Two of the few vertebrates that are 

 confined almost exclusively to Zones IV 

 (and V) are the semiaquatic swamp and 

 marsh rabbits ( Syvilagus aquaticus and S. 

 palustris ). Swamp rabbits are found more 

 often in Piedmont floodplains while marsh 

 rabbits are confined mainly within the 

 Coastal Plain. The swamp rabbit is adapted 

 with large feet and slightly splayed, 

 strong-nailed toes for swimming and tra- 

 versing unconsolidated terrain (Lowe 

 1958). Herbivorous swamp rabbits reached 

 a density of 5.6 individuals per 100 acres 

 in the Lowe study on the Oconee River, GA. 



FAUNA OF ZONE V 



Invertebrates 



Many invertebrate species are common 

 both to Zones IV and V as well as to 

 levees (Wharton et al. 1981). The detri- 

 tivore community of the predominantly Zone 

 V Alcovy River (GA) floodplain is charac- 

 terized by abundant millipedes ( Cherokia 

 qeorgiana , Narceus americana ) and camel 

 crickets (Ceut hophilus qracilipes ). Also 

 abundant are a scarab (On thophaqus ) and 

 three carabid beetle genera ( Carabus , 

 Abacidus , and Chlaenius ). The grazer com- 

 munity includes two katydids ( Pterophylla 

 camel lifol ia , Scudderia rhombifolium ). 

 Other grazers common to Zones IV and V and 

 abundant in the Congaree Swamp are the 

 zebra swallowtail ( Graphium marcel! us ) 

 (whose larvae feed on the paw paw), the 

 Carolina satyr ( Euptychia hermes sosybia ), 

 the red spotted purple ( Limenitis a rchip- 

 )us astanax) and the pearl crescent 



pus 



(Is 



Physoides tharos ) butterflies. 



Of the spiders shared by Zones IV and 

 V, the most abundant ground dwellers on a 

 Piedmont floodplain are the wolf spiders 

 ( Schizocosa ocreata , Lycosa helluo ), and 

 in the Congaree, Schizocosa crassipes . In 

 the Congaree the dominant aerial spiders 

 are the orb weaver (Neoscona arabesca ), 

 the spinyback ( Micrathena gracilis ), and 

 Frontinela spp. 



Most of the 11 species of snails 

 recorded from Congaree probably inhabit 

 Zone V. The dominant ones are the great 

 zonite ( Mesomphix vulgatus ), the white- 

 lipped forest snail ( Mesodon th yroidus ) 



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