Microhabitat Preferences and Genetic Confirmation of Plethodon jacksoni in Karst Sinkholes in Western Virginia

Karen E. Powers^1,*, Nathan I. Harris III¹, Robert R. Sheehy¹, Justine N. McLaughlin¹, and Christine J. Small¹

¹Biology Department, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 3 (2024): 271–282

First published early online: 16 July 2024

Abstract
Surveys in 2008 documented 2 salamander species, Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander) and P. glutinosus (Northern Slimy Salamander), utilizing sinkholes in Montgomery County, VA. Given the suite of species that are morphologically similar across the Northern Slimy Salamander and P. wehrlei (Wehrle’s Salamander) complexes, we revisited 16 of these sinkholes in spring–summer 2022 and utilized cleaved amplified polymorphism (CAP) reinforced by DNA barcoding to confirm species identification. We added microhabitat measures to finetune habitat preferences of captured plethodontids (leaf-litter depth, soil moisture, and cover type [log, rock, cover board, leaves] at the point of collection for each salamander). Of 146 salamanders captured, we documented 116 P. jacksoni (Blacksburg Salamander), 29 Eastern Red-backed Salamanders, and 1 P. cylindraceus (White-spotted Slimy Salamander). Further, tail clips from 2008 surveys (n = 100) confirmed that we erroneously identified Blacksburg Salamanders as Northern Slimy Salamanders in the original study and we should instead interpret site-level habitat preferences for Blacksburg Salamanders. New microhabitat analyses for the Blacksburg Salamander suggest preferences for rocks and cover types associated with greater leaf-litter depth. We combine old and new project data to provide a broader baseline understanding of the natural history of this newly designated species.

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