A population analysis of two species of streamside salamanders, genus Desmognathus

Desmognathus fuscus and Desmognathus ochrophaeus mere studied over a 6-wk period by mark-recapture and removal methods. Density is ~. 0.8/m2 in D. fuscus and 0.6 - l.l/m2 in D. ochrophaeus; respective biomass densities are 1.5 and 1.0 g/m2. Adjusted estimates indicate a greater proportion of adults in D. ochrophaeus. The observed sex ratio is unbalanced in favor of males but may be close to 1:1 in each species. Adult male age structures based on testis lobes indicate greater adult survivorship in D. ochrophaeus than D. fuscus. Local populations of D. ochrophaeus may differ from others studied in having a shortened larval period. Indirect evidence may indicate greater predation on D. fuscus than on D. ochrophaeus. Fecundity is positively correlated with the size of females in both species and the slopes of the regression lines are similar. Mean egg complements are 21.2 for D. fuscus and 15.6 for D. ochrophaeus. Most observations support the hypothesis that demographic differences are related to differences in degree of terrestrialism between the two species.