Barrier Island Herpetofauna 
157 
Kiawah Island^ Cnemidophorus sexlineatus was surprisingly scarce. This 
lizard is abundant on some barrier islands along the southeastern 
Atlantic Coast. 
Snakes. — The most apparent snake on Kiawah Island was Thamno- 
phis sauritus. On Capers Island, Agkistrodon piscivorus and Coluber 
constrictor were the most frequently encountered species. The difficulty 
of assessing abundance and population levels of snakes is well known to 
herpetologists. Hence other, more secretive, species may be more com- 
mon than is apparent. 
Salamanders. — Only Plethodon glutinosus was found on Kiawah 
Island. It occupies mesic habitats and is locally abundant in certain for- 
ested areas. No salamanders were collected on Capers Island although 
suitable habitat exists there for P. glutinosus. Salamanders are absent on 
many barrier islands, or are represented by only a few species. On the 
mainland, salamander activity is greatest during late fall, winter, and 
early spring; sampling efforts, which were not made on Capers during 
these seasons, might confirm the presence of P. glutinosus . 
Frogs and toads. — Almost all of the anuran species on the islands 
were very abundant, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. An 
assessment of relative population levels of the different anuran species is 
difficult to make due to the large numbers observed of almost every 
species at one time or another. 
Hyla squirella occupies diverse habitats and is very abundant, as 
attested by the very large breeding choruses that develop after heavy 
spring or summer rains. It is clearly the most widespread terrestrial spe- 
cies on Capers and Kiawah islands. Two species of toads appear to differ 
sharply in abundance on Kiawah Island. Scaphiopus holbrooki was 
common to abundant, especially in mesic, mixed forests as indicated, for 
example, by the drift fence data from transect 3 (Table 4). In contrast, 
Bufo terrestris, a common toad on the mainland, occupies similar habi- 
tats but was less abundant than S. holbrooki. Since most of the S. hol- 
brooki captured were juveniles, a demographically realistic comparison 
of abundance is not possible. A third terrestrial anuran, Gastrophryne 
carolinensis, is common to abundant in diverse habitats on both islands. 
Rana utricularia is the most apparent anuran species in the more stable 
aquatic sites; adults are more or less restricted to freshwater marshes and 
ponds. Very large breeding choruses of this species develop after heavy 
winter and spring rains. Although individuals sometimes occur in 
smaller, less stable aquatic sites (ditches, rain-filled depressions, etc.) 
throughout both islands, these are often postmetamorphic juveniles or 
subadults that may not survive. Rana utricularia shares the larger fresh- 
water marshes and ponds with Hyla cinerea, especially those ponds con- 
taining cattails or other emergent vegetation. Hyla cinerea is somewhat 
