Desmognathus aeneus in Tennessee 99 



from year to year. Folkerts (1968) found that clutch size varied from 5 

 to 17 (x = 8.8) and that hatching in the laboratory occurred in 43 to 54 

 days. Harrison (1967) observed hatching from late May to early August, 

 and reported that hatching in the laboratory occurred in 34 to 45 days. 

 He found that clutch size varied from 6 to 18 (x = 10.7). Eleven D. 

 aeneus clutches have been found in the Citico Creek watershed. The 

 earliest date for a clutch containing uncleaved eggs was 10 May. 

 Clutches that were ready to hatch or hatching were observed on 23 June 

 and 26 June, respectively. This indicates that, in Tennessee, oviposition 

 probably occurs from late April through early May and hatching from 

 mid-June through mid-July. I found no fall clutches. Clutch size ranged 

 from 8 to 15 (x = 12.2). Most of the 11 clutches were beneath moss at 

 ground level near streams or seepage areas. However, a female attend- 

 ing a clutch was found beneath a small log, 1.6 m from a small stream; a 

 second female and clutch were beneath moss on a rotting tree stump, 28 

 cm above ground level and 7.2 m from a stream. 



DISCUSSION 



The range of D. aeneus in Tennessee is apparently restricted to the 

 Unicoi Mountains of Polk and Monroe counties. Tennessee populations 

 are probably continuous with those in western North Carolina and 

 northern Georgia, since D. aeneus has been collected in counties border- 

 ing Tennessee in both states (Martof, et al. 1980; Harrison 1967). 



Within the Unicoi Mountains, D. aeneus is an apparently wides- 

 pread but relatively uncommon species. Its range in Tennessee lies 

 primarily within the Cherokee National Forest, which should provide 

 some measure of protection since much of this area remains relatively 

 undisturbed. However, populations of D. aeneus are sensitive to drying 

 conditions caused by clear cutting (Folkerts 1968), a common method 

 of timber harvest in the Cherokee National Forest. Disruption by wild 

 boar, Sus scrofa, of seepage area habitats is also a relatively common 

 phenomenon within the range of D. aeneus in Tennessee. The apparent 

 susceptibility of its populations to habitat destruction, coupled with its 

 restricted distribution in the state, indicate that D. aeneus should be 

 monitored for any sudden population changes in order to insure its con- 

 tinued survival in Tennessee. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.— A. C. Echternacht, University of Ten- 

 nessee, and W. H. Redmond, Jr., Tennessee Valley Authority, provided 

 many useful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Two anon- 

 ymous reviewers also provided comments. 



