Foods of Plethodon 165 



individuals differed noticeably from larger ones in prey selected (Table 

 1). Acarines (mites) were the dominant prey in the stomachs of small P. 

 websteri, both in numbers and percent area. Their next most important 

 food item was Collembola (springtails). Acarines were frequently 

 encountered in the stomachs of the larger P. websteri but did not con- 

 tribute much to percent area. Ants, however, were important in their 

 diet. Isoptera (termites) were important in both area and numbers in 

 larger P. websteri; however, they were not preyed upon frequently as 

 shown by the low percentage of stomachs containing them. These 

 results show that larger salamanders feed on larger prey (e.g., ants and 

 termites), and smaller salamanders feed on smaller prey (e.g., springtails 

 and mites). 



Only one P. serratus had a SVL less than 30 mm, the remaining 54 

 being comparable in size to the larger P. websteri. Therefore, the food 

 data for P. serratus are not reported for separate size groups. Ants were 

 the most important prey of P. serratus in area and total numbers. Acar- 

 ines were common in the stomachs but contributed little to percent area. 

 Beetles, spiders, and isopods also were frequently eaten by this species. 



Most of the apparent differences in feeding between the two species 

 of salamanders can be attributed to the large number of smaller P. web- 

 steri in the samples and the predominance of larger specimens in the P. 

 serratus samples. Although the foods of both species appear to be sim- 

 ilar, further work is needed on the feeding as well as other aspects of the 

 ecology of these salamanders before conclusions can be drawn concern- 

 ing their respective feeding strategies. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.— We would like to thank William E. 

 Garrett, Jr., Auburn University, for identification of some of the prey 

 items, and George W. Folkerts, Auburn University, for critically review- 

 ing the manuscript. 



LITERATURE CITED 



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Caldwell, Ronald S., and G. S. Jones. 1973. Winter congregations of Plethodon 

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Fraser, D. F. 1976. Empirical evaluation of the hypothesis of food competition 

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Hamilton, W. J., Jr. 1932. The food and feeding habits of some eastern sala- 

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Highton, Richard, and T. P. Webster. 1976. Geographic protein variation and 

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 50(l):33-45. 



Holman, J. A. 1955. Fall and winter food of Plethodon dorsalis in Johnson 

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