Distribution and Ecology of the Seepage Salamander 



Desmognathus aeneus Brown and Bishop (Amphibia: Plethodontidae), 



in Tennessee 



R. L. Jones ' 



Graduate Program in Ecology, 

 University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916 



ABSTRACT. — The seepage salamander, Desmognathus aeneus, is 

 found at elevations from 280 to 1000 m in the Unicoi Mountains of 

 Polk and Monroe counties, southeastern Tennessee. It inhabits leaf 

 litter along small streams and seepage areas. Oviposition probabh 

 occurs in late April and early May, and hatching from mid-June 

 through mid-July. Clutch sizes range from 8 to 15 (x - 12.2) eggs. The 

 major prey items for Tennessee D. aeneus appear to be mites ana 

 collembolans. 



INTRODUCTION 



Two dwarf species of salamanders in the genus Desmognathus 

 occur in Tennessee. The pygmy salamander, Desmognathus wrighti 

 King, is found primarily at higher elevations along the main ridge of the 

 Unaka Mountains (Great Smokies, Bald Mountains, and Roan Moun- 

 tain) on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The seepage salamander, 

 Desmognathus aeneus Brown and Bishop, has been reported from one 

 locality in the extreme southeastern corner of the state (Harrison 1967). 

 I here present additional information on the distribution, status, and 

 ecology of D. aeneus in Tennessee. Most of my data were obtained 

 during a 1976 study of habitat use among plethodontid salamanders in 

 the Unicoi Mountains (Jones 1977). Supplemental information was 

 obtained during later collecting trips and from specimens in the Verte- 

 brate Zoology Collection, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 



RESULTS 



Distribution 



Harrison (1967) reported D. aeneus from Turtletown, Polk 

 County. Additional localities are shown in Figure 1. The species seems 

 to occur in isolated populations throughout the Unicoi Mountains in 

 both Polk and Monroe counties. All localities are within the Blue Ridge 

 Physiographic Province and range from 280 to 1000 m elevation. Harri- 



1 Present address: Mississippi Museum of Nature Science, Jackson, MS 39202 

 Brimleyana No. 7:95-100. July 1981. 95 



