Ecological Status of the Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) and the Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Salamanders in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nickerson MA, Krysko KL, Owen RD. 2002. Ecological Status of the Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) and the Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) Salamanders in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science. 118(1):27-34
Diurnal skin-diving surveys of streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park revealed low density populations of hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) in Little River, Deep Creek, and Oconoluftee River. The Little River population included well-developed eggs, gilled larvae, larvae and adults, with an almost 50% larval composition. Little River was the only stream where mud- puppies (Necturus maculosus), consisting of two or three age classes, were found. Water quality profiles revealed acidic conditions for Little River and Noland Creek, indicating that monitoring efforts should be continued. The use of electroshocking during late summer and early fall and any chemical treatments for rough fish elimination is strongly discouraged in those streams with C. alleganiensis populations. Appropriately sized C. alleganiensis and N. maculosus were PIT tagged for future monitoring which should use the same diurnal skin diving method.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Nickerson, Max; Krysko, Kenneth; Owen, Richard
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Amphibians, Animal Studies, Caudata, Ecology, GRSM-00233, hellbender, Little River, mudpuppy, Salamanders
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Amphibians and Reptiles