Necturus lewisi Study: Distribution & Ecology 17 



(17) trap days (number of traps x number of days set); 



(18) hook days (number of hooks x number of days set); 



(19) number of traps set and checked for a sampling period; 



(20) number of hooks set and checked for a sampling period; 



(21) number of N. lewisi collected during sampling period; 



(22) number of N. punctatus collected during sampling period; 

 and 



(23) precipitation during sampling period, to nearest 0.1 cm. 



Additional notes on sampling sites included such items as forest 

 type around sites, channelized vs. natural stream beds, obvious pollu- 

 tion, and other items deemed significant by the field technician. 



All Necturus collected were kept for various biological studies. 

 Some were shipped alive, frozen, or preserved to other researchers, but 

 most were killed in a chloretone solution and preserved on the day of 

 capture. After measurements and weights were taken, the stomachs and 

 intestines of most juveniles and adults were removed, labeled, and 

 placed in 75% ethyl alcohol. Stomach contents were later sorted and 

 identified. Larger Necturus were preserved in 10% formalin. Larval and 

 small juvenile Necturus were preserved intact in 8% buffered formalin, 

 and their stomachs removed later. Vertebrate and macroinvertebrate 

 associates collected in the same habitats as Necturus were also preserved. 

 The following information was recorded on a Captured Animal 

 Data sheet for each Necturus specimen: 



(1) specimen number, unique to each animal; 



(2) site number from Trap Site Sheet; 



(3) date specimen collected; 



(4) stream name from Trap Site Sheet; 



(5) snout-vent length (SVL), measured with mm ruler from tip 

 of snout to posterior end of cloacal opening on living or 

 fresh killed specimens; 



(6) tail length, measured from posterior end of cloaca to tail tip 

 on living or fresh killed specimens; 



(7) weight of living or fresh killed specimens, recorded to nearest 

 gram with Ohaus triple beam balance or Presola handheld 

 scale; 



(8) sex, determined by secondary sexual characteristics and dis- 

 section; 



(9) developmental stage, determined by dissection and listed as 

 "mature", "immature", or "intermediate"; 



(10) number of eggs (mature or near mature ova); 



(11) digestive tract contents, listed as "present" or "absent"; 



(12) color pattern as: spotted dorsum and venter; spotted dorsum, 

 plain venter; faint spots on dorsum, sides darker; virtually 

 plain dorsally, dark sides; totally dark; 



