A modified trap design for sampling subterranean habitats for central Texas Eurycea salamanders

Abstract

In this paper, we describe modifications to a sampling technique for surface, stream-dwelling salamanders for use in subterranean settings. Leaf litter bags are an effective and commonly used trap for salamanders, and their construction purposefully allows animals to move freely in and out of the trap. However, this presents a problem in subterranean deployment because retrieving the trap over long vertical distances, such as well sampling, allows time and space for the animals to escape. To overcome this challenge, we enclosed a leaf litter bag in a suspended net system contained by a lanyard to sample a 3-meter deep well. Our trap modifications resulted in the live capture of adult and immature federally threatened Salado Salamanders (Eurycea chisholmensis) from the well in addition to aquatic invertebrates. This represents a novel trapping technique within a habitat system for which stygofauna sampling options are limited.